He had a five-game hitting streak at the time of his injury, and in the games he missed, the Sox missed him as much at the plate as they did behind it.

He stretched many of those at-bats into battles, seeing 4.13 pitches per plate appearance. He rarely grounded into double plays, and he consistently moved runners over. He rarely struck out, and he constantly put the ball in play.

The .222 batting average that catcher Ryan Hanigan took with him to the disabled list when he fractured his right hand in May never did his at-bats justice.

Since returning to the lineup last week, Hanigan has hit .333 (5 for 15) with three RBIs and five walks, giving the Sox a much-needed spark.


“First of all, he’s put up quality at-bats every time he’s walked to the plate,” said manager John Farrell. “Long at-bats, we’ve been able to put some guys in motion with him because of his bat control. A guy that rarely swings and misses. Some key RBIs in that mix. And for the games in which he’s been behind the plate, I think he’s led our guys through and implemented a very solid game plan.”

While the pitching staff has its best ERA with Sandy Leon behind the place (3.91) and worked well with rookie Blake Swihart learning on the job, Farrell said Hanigan’s experience as a nine-year veteran is invaluable.

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Farrell said. “The other guys that have been behind the plate for us are talented in their own right, but their learning curve is pretty steep as they come into the big leagues or change leagues. Hanny’s track record is clearly playing out as we had hoped or anticipated. He’s a very good game-caller.”

Hanigan said the mental side of the game — watching the pitching staff — helped him stay plugged in so when he returned he could immediately contribute.


“I was here, I was traveling with the team, I’m watching,” Hanigan said. “Sandy and Swi did a great job with these guys. They’re always prepared, they’re always ready to go. It’s about the pitcher executing the game. If I can see something here and there that I think I can help with, I will. But overall, I think it would help me just being able to be around the game, travel with the team, see what’s going on, see what’s making these guys successful or ways that they can improve. All that stuff makes it a little easier when I get back to do my job.”

In a tough spot

The push for Xander Bogaerts to fill the final roster spot on the American League All-Star team looks to be in jeopardy. Major League Baseball released the voting update on Wednesday and the leader was Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas. Bogaerts was fifth behind the Twins’ Brian Dozier, the Tigers’ Yoenis Cespedes, and the Yankees’ Brett Gardner, who was added to the roster on Thursday to replace injured Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon. Voting for the final spot ends Friday at 4 p.m.

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @julianbenbow.