Red Sox Roster Moves: Atchison Activated, Morales to 60-Day DL

The Red Sox announced prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees that reliever Scott Atchison was activated from the 60-day disabled list.  The 36-year old is trying to pitch through a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and managed to effectively pitch through two minor league games with little drop in velocity or movement.

Atchison has appeared in 37 games this season, all in relief while accumulating 46.0 innings of work.  His 1.76 ERA is by far the best of his career as is the 1.000 WHIP. He was a key contributor in what was an effective Red Sox bullpen through most of the season before the injury took the last couple of months away from him.

In a corresponding move to create room on the 40-man roster for Atchison, lefty pitcher Franklin Morales was placed on the 60-day disabled list.  The move all but confirms that Morales will be done for the remainder of the season.

The reliever turned starter, made 9 starts and 28 relief appearances this season with a 3-4 record, 3.77 ERA and a 1.231 WHIP.  He has a SO/9 ratio of 9.0 and a BB/9 of 3.5, both superior than his career averages.  The 26-year old who was acquired from the Colorado Rockies last season has been a pleasant surprise when he joined the rotation and is said to be a front runner for one of the five starting jobs next spring.