Vazquez To DL, Sox Trade For Leon

Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez goes to the 60-day DL and in comes catcher Sandy Leon from the Washington Nationals.

The Red Sox moved quickly to add depth at the catcher spot. Vazquez visits Dr. James Andrews this week. The fear is he will need Tommy John elbow surgery.

Putting Vazquez on the 60-day DL creates a spot on the 40-man roster and that's where the 26-year-old Leon comes into play. He was out of options and the Nats didn't think he would pass through waivers and so they worked out a deal with the Red Sox for cash consideration.

Leon is a switch hitter with only 107 major league at bats over the past three seasons. He is conisdering a strong catch-and-throw guy.

This likely means the Sox have decided to have Blake Swihart begin the year at Pawtucket while Ryan Hannigan takes over the #1 catcher.