Morales To DL With Shoulder Fatigue; Stewart To Start Tomorrow

For the 27th player and 36th stint this season, the Red Sox have resorted to the disabled list. This time, the victim is Franklin Morales— heading to the DL with what is being labeled as a tired shoulder. Morales was converted into the starting rotation after the trade of Matt Albers after filling in a few times in June, and lately has been a bit rough. Normally, a solid power starter/reliever, Morales’s workload appeared to be catching up to him in his last few starts as he’s 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his last 3 starts (13.1 innings). However, his overall numbers on the season are still very impressive as he’s pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 37 starts (9 starts).

Morales was scheduled to pitch tomorrow against C.J. Wilson and will be replaced in the rotation by Zach Stewart. Stewart was acquired this June in the Kevin Youkilis trade and reported immediately to Triple-A Pawtucket. In 11 starts there since the trade, he’s been solid– going 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA. This will be his first taste of major league baseball with the Red Sox after going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 17 relief appearances (1 start) with the White Sox this year.

The official explanation for Morales’s DL stint is a tired shoulder, which is a bit concerning to the recently converted starter. It’s unknown if Morales fits into the future plans as a starter or reliever for the Red Sox, but it would certainly be helpful for him to be physically able to start. Hopefully this shoulder fatigue is something that can be easily cured by a bit of rest and an offseason of being stretched out will prevent it from happening again. To look on the bright side though, it will be good to get a glimpse of Stewart to see whether or not the Red Sox got anything of value in the Youkilis trade.