The veteran first baseman signed a minor league contract with Boston in early March, and Cron decided to opt out of the deal after hitting .200/.368/.200 across six Grapefruit League contests. He will look to snag another opportunity with another ballclub before the season begins,

Boston’s front office has been trolling the free agent waters in search of a low-cost fallback option at the cold corner and designated hitter for a couple weeks and finally reeled in a capable veteran in Cron. The 34-year-old slugger dealt with back issues last year in Colorado before being shipped to the Angels. He’s a low-risk lottery ticket for the Red Sox and is unlikely to make a tangible impact for fantasy managers.

This isn’t the first time the veteran slugger landed on the injured list this season with back inflammation. He missed a month in late summer with the same injury and the move to the injured list will effectively end his season. Cron hit .248/.25/.434 with 12 homers and 37 RBI between Colorado and Los Angeles.

Cron was activated off the IL on Saturday but has yet to make a start until today. Before landing on the injured list, he was hitting .252/.299/.441 with 12 homers and 37 RBI in 254 at-bats between the Rockies and Angels. Cron will start at designated hitter with Jared Walsh moving to right field and Brandon Drury playing first base. Nolan Schanuel will get a day off and Michael Stefanic will play third base.