Lefty Tommy Hottovy Called-up to Boston

According to the Providence Journal, lefty reliever Tommy Hottovy has been called up to the majors. He will be added to the roster and take the spot of lefty Rich Hill in the bullpen, because he will likely need Tommy John surgery and be done for the season. Hottovy will take Daisuke Matsuzaka‘s spot on the 40-man roster after he was placed on the 60-day DL following the news of the need for Tommy John surgery as well. Hottovy has had a strong 2011 season for the Portland Sea Dogs and the Pawtucket Red Sox, combining for 14 appearances (27 innings) with just 5 earned runs and a nifty 1.67 ERA. He had 28 Ks in 27 innings and has been perfect against lefties at the AAA level since being called-up (lefties are 0 for 12 against him). Hottovy is a name a lot of people may be unfamiliar with because he missed a lot of time after having Tommy John surgery (sense a trend?) in 2008. At age 29, he is not a spring chicken, but the Red Sox are looking for a stable lefty-reliever to fill that slot in the bullpen, so Hottovy has a chance to stay in the bigs for a while if he pitches well. (Hottovy’s scouting report after the jump)

Scouting Report from SoxProspects.com:

Primarily a reliever for four years at Wichita, Boston utilized Hottovy as a starter prior to his Tommy John Surgery in 2008. The crafty lefty throws  two- and four-seam fastballs which sit around 85-87 mph, as well as a decent mid-70s changeup and a mid-70s curveball. Inconsistent command, but when he’s on, he has pinpoint control. Retooled his delivery in the spring of 2011, and now works as a side-armer. Early results have been quite impressive, as he has added about four mph to his fastball, which now sits in the low 90s.