Pressure's on Javy

Albert Chen

August 14, 2006

The Red Sox moved quickly to replace catcher Jason Varitek, who is out until at least early September with a partially torn ligament in his left knee, making a waiver deal with Baltimore to get Javy Lopez. But what can Boston realistically expect from the 35-year-old Lopez, who was mostly a DH with the Orioles this year (.265 average, eight homers, 31 RBIs) and had caught a total of 98 games for them in 2005 and '06? "Injuries have made him ineffective, and he's got no life in his bat," says an AL scout. "[Lopez] is a big-time defensive liability, and I don't think he can take the rigors of catching every day." In his first three games for Boston, Lopez went a combined 0 for 10 and had runners steal two bases against him.