Jeff Bailey, who spent the last six years in the Red Sox organization, signed a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks,according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert ( via Twitter). Bailey, 31, had spent most of the past five years in Triple A Pawtucket, and was named 2008 International League Player of the Year when he hit .301 with a .405 OBP, .562 slugging and .967 OPS while clubbing 25 homers.

Bailey played in 56 games in the majors for the Sox, hitting .228/.340/.434/.773 with six homers as a first baseman and outfielder. Bailey had been a catcher in his early career, but throwing issues sabotaged his work there, and he stopped catching during the 2005 season. Sox manager Terry Francona would often lament Bailey’s inability to stay behind the plate, since his bat likely would have ensured a sustained big-league career at that position, at least as a backup.

Now, Bailey will try to forge a big-league spot with the Diamondbacks, who, according to Gilbert, have offered him an invitation to major-league camp.

The Red Sox issued the following press release about a flurry of Sept. 1 activities, which featured four minor-league call-ups (outfielders Brian Anderson and Joey Gathright from Triple-A Pawtucket, infielder Chris Woodward from Pawtucket, and pitcher Junichi Tazawa from the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League) as well as the reactivation of catcher George Kottaras from the 15-day disabled list: Read the rest of this entry »

The Boston Red Sox today placed third baseman Mike Lowell on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 28) with a right hip strain and recalled first baseman/outfielder Jeff Bailey from Triple-A Pawtucket.  Bailey is wearing No. 55 and is active for tonight’s game against the Orioles.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

Lowell, 35, is hitting .282 (75-for-266) with 18 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 41 RBI and 30 runs scored in 68 games for Boston this season.  The right-handed hitter has made starts in just two of the Red Sox’ last nine games and returned to Boston following Sunday’s game in Atlanta.  On Monday, Lowell received an injection of Synvisc in his right hip.  The third baseman underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip during the offseason.

For Bailey, 30, it is his second stint with the Major League club this season.  The right-handed hitter was originally selected to the active roster on April 22 and went 13-for-69 (.188) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, nine RBI and 10 runs scored in 23 games before being optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket on May 31.  In 36 games with the PawSox this season, Bailey is batting .259 (36-for-139) with 13 RBI and seven home runs, tied for the second-most on the club.  He has hit safely in each of his last nine games beginning June 20, going 12-for-34 (.353) in that time.

Kevin Youkilis is eligible to come off the disabled list on Wednesday, and so barring something unexpected, he will resume life as the team’s everyday first baseman on Wednesday…this despite the fact that the third-place finisher in last year’s MVP race went 0-for-6 in his two-game rehab assignment for Triple-A Pawtucket.

“I asked him if he wanted to go to Double-A,” joked Sox manager Terry Francona. “He said no.”

Jeff Bailey has been Youkilis’ replacement for these past two weeks. He hasn’t exactly distinguished himself during that time, hitting .182 with a .318 OBP and .364 slugging mark entering tonight. But Bailey has had his moments, most memorably a homer on Saturday in front of about 75-80 friends and family members from the state of Washington who made the trip to Seattle.

Tonight, Bailey stepped to the plate with runners on first and second, and lined a hit-and-run single to left-center that scored a run and put the Sox in position to score another when George Kottaras followed with a sac fly. The Sox are 8-6 entering tonight in games started by Bailey at first, including a 6-6 mark during this stint on the D.L.

After two, the Red Sox are up, 2-0.

As discussed yesterday, there is currently a spirited open competition between Jeff Bailey, Chris Carter, Paul McAnulty and Brad Wilkerson for the role of the Red Sox’ fifth outfielder, a job that is vacant through at least the end of April as outfielder Mark Kotsay recovers from back surgery.

One additional item worth mentioning: both Bailey and Wilkerson have opt-out clauses should the Red Sox not purchase their contracts by specified dates. That being the case, here is a revised list of the contract status of all four players:

• Bailey can opt out of his contract and become a free agent if he has not been called up by July 15.
• Carter is a member of the 40-man roster, and so will remain under Red Sox control whether or not he is in the majors or in Triple-A.
• McAnulty does not have an out clause.
• Wilkerson has two outs: one on April 1, another on June 15.

Jason Bay has had better nights since joining the Red Sox. He struck out to end a pair of runners in both the first and third. He then singled to lead off the sixth and had advanced to second with two outs when Jeff Bailey bounced a single just inside the third-base line. The single, however, bounded off of third-base ump Gerry Davis, and Bay–confounded by the deflection–got caught in no man’s land (a term, apparently, that came into vogue only during the not-so-great Great War in 1914) between third and home. He was caught in a rather unfortunate 5-2-5 rundown that culminated with Bay sprawling in the dirt.

But the Bay mishap is little more than an isolated incident. Perhaps more significant was the fact that Bailey could have gotten the Sox within a run–or perhaps even tied the game–with a two-out hit. Bailey, the 2008 International League MVP, would seem to have at least a fightin’ chance of a postseason roster spot, particularly given the injuries to J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell. If Lowell was unavailable to play against a left-handed starter such as, say, Joe Saunders, it is conceivable that Bailey–who is hitting .268 with an .814 OPS and a pair of homers in 38 at-bats–could find himself in the lineup.