The Red Sox have designated A.J. Pierzynski for assignment - MLB

The Red Sox, with rumors of trading this or that player swirling, are apparently calling it a season. Or, at the very least, are trying something different than they tried heading into 2014. The move:

Sources: #RedSox designating Pierzynski for assignment.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 9, 2014

Pierzynski is experiencing his worst season at the plate since becoming a full-time big leaguer, hitting .254/.286/.348. Twenty-three year old Christian Vazquez has been called up. He and David Ross will be splitting catching duties for the duration, but it would make a lot more sense for Vasquez to get most of the reps.

Pierzynski is making $8.25 million this year. He’ll clear waivers and the Sox will be on the hook for the balance of that, but it’s unclear if any other team would want to take a chance on him. Worst case: we see A.J. working for TBS or Fox or whoever this postseason. He’s actually pretty darn good with that stuff.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A former Angels employee has been charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in connection with last year’s overdose death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, prosecutors in Texas announced Friday.

Eric Prescott Kay was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, and made his first appearance Friday in federal court, according to Erin Nealy Cox, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Kay was communications director for the Angels.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area July 1, 2019, before the start of what was supposed to be a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. The first game was postponed before the teams played the final three games.

Skaggs died after choking on his vomit with a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system, a coroner’s report said. Prosecutors accused Kay of providing the fentanyl to Skaggs and others, who were not named.

“Tyler Skaggs’s overdose – coming, as it did, in the midst of an ascendant baseball career – should be a wake-up call: No one is immune from this deadly drug, whether sold as a powder or hidden inside an innocuous-looking tablet,” Nealy Cox said.

If convicted, Kay faces up to 20 years in prison. Federal court records do not list an attorney representing him, and an attorney who previously spoke on his behalf did not immediately return a message seeking comment.