BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox signed first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to a one-year contract Monday, two days after he was released by the Washington Nationals.
To make room on the roster, the Red Sox placed outfielder Rob Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list with a strained muscle on his left side.
Lowe, 30, is a .263 career hitter with 105 homers, 397 RBIs and 384 runs scored in seven seasons with the Rays, Rangers and Nationals. He won a Gold Glove while helping Texas win the 2023 World Series before being traded to Washington after the '24 season.
For the Nationals, he had 16 homers with 68 RBIs while batting a career-worst .216 in 119 games before he was designated for assignment last Thursday. He was released two days later.
Also on Monday, the Red Sox said right-hander Tanner Houck had season-ending elbow surgery. An All-Star last season, the 29-year-old Houck went on the injured list in mid-May with a right flexor strain after going 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA in nine starts.
In other moves, the Red Sox recalled infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester and designated catcher Ali Sánchez for assignment.
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Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (33) beats the tag at second by Kansas City Royals second baseman Adam Frazier after hitting a double during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Washington Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe watches his grand slam during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Washington Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe celebrates in the dugout after hitting a grand slam during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”
Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
