George Kottaras Placed on 15-Day DL

By KC Downey in Red Sox ⋅ August 2, 2009 at 11:56am ⋅ Post a comment

Red Sox backup catcher George Kottaras was placed on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms, making room for new 1B/C Victor Martinez. Kottaras had been playing with the injury for about a month, but said he was ready for whatever Terry Francona needed.

“It’s just something I’ve been dealing with the last month or so,’’ Kottaras said. “I told [manager Terry Francona]. He’s been aware of it the whole time. I told him I’d be ready for whatever scenario he needed me for.

“Now, it’s one of those things, now that we’ve got Victor, it’s an opportunity for me to rest my back, get better, and come back around the time [Tim Wakefield is ready to pitch again].’’

Outfielder Josh Reddick, who was called up before Martinez and Casey Kotchman arrived in Boston, will remain on the active roster while Kottaras is out. Martinez will step in as the backup catcher to give a tiring Jason Varitek some rest.