back stiffness. After returning from the injury, Saltalamacchia showed difficulties both batting and catching, and he was sent to the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks to isolate and remedy the mechanical issues with his play. Saltalamacchia also struggled mentally, with a bout of the "yips" preventing him from making accurate throws back to the pitcher. He was frustrated with his inability to make what should be a simple throw, saying that it was "the only thing keeping [him] from being back in the big leagues". Saltalamacchia spent most of his time with the Rangers organization that season in Oklahoma City, where he batted .244 in 238 at-bats, with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 63 games. Boston Red Sox (2010–13) On July 31, 2010, the Rangers traded Saltalamacchia to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects Román Méndez and Chris McGuinness, $350,000 in cash, and a player to be named later. After the trade was finalized, he was assigned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox as one of multiple potential replacements for the veteran Jason Varitek. When Kevin Cash was placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury on August 11, Saltalamacchia was called up to start behind the plate, with regular catcher Víctor Martínez filling in for Cash at first base. His stint was short-lived, as Saltalamacchia was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 19 after a sore leg turned out to be infected. He had only 13 at-bats after returning from the infection before going down with a torn ligament in his left thumb. The ligament required surgery and 4–6 weeks of recovery, and Saltalamacchia was shut down for the season on September 28, 2010. He appeared in only 10 games for the Red Sox that season, going 3-for-19 in the process, but manager Terry Francona said that he was "kind of excited about" the limited action that Saltalamacchia did see. After Martínez signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent during the 2010–11 offseason, Saltalamacchia inherited the starting catcher position for Boston. The Red Sox had a slow start to the season, and troubles with both Saltalamacchia's swing and the performance of his batterymates led to rumors that Varitek would gain more time behind the plate. As the season progressed, Saltalamacchia became more comfortable catching for Boston. He took the general advice on how to call a game from pitching coach Bob