Matsuzaka Heads to DL with Mild Strain of the Rotator Cuff

By KC Downey in Red Sox, Top Story ⋅ May 30, 2008 at 5:21pm ⋅ Post a comment

The Red Sox placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list with a mild strain of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. In his place, the Red Sox called up OF Jeff Bailey for the weekend series against the Orioles.

Due to off-days, the next opening in the starting rotation will be Tuesday, and the Red Sox have two arms more than capable of shouldering the load. Rookie Justin Masterson is in Triple-A Pawtucket right now and can be called up at any time.

Also available is fellow-rookie Clay Buchholz, who is currently on the disabled list and slated to start Friday for the PawSox. He’s eligible to come off the DL at any time.

My thoughts: I said it before that the Red Sox have a deep rotation, and at times when you have two starters that are injured, it pays to have insurance. Bartolo Colon is definitely a fixture in the rotation now, and either Masterson or Buchholz will rejoin the rotation in Dice-K’s place. Get better Dice-K!