Red Sox: Pablo Sandoval hits the DL with a “left ear infection”

The Boston Red Sox have placed third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the 10-day disabled list with a… left ear infection.

This is where we are in the Pablo Sandoval – Boston Red Sox saga. The embattled (if that’s even the right word to describe him at this point) third baseman has spent more time on the DL this season than he has in the field. He took his first stint back in April and ended up missing over a month with a right-knee sprain. Since then, he’s come back to hit .211/.268/.316 with a whopping 50 wRC+ and a 26.8% strikeout rate.

This time around, it looks like the DL stint is the beginning of the end for him. Sandoval got another start on Monday night, marking just his third in the last 10 games. He did manage to go 1-for-3, but when the eighth inning rolled around and the Royals had a lefty on the mound with two men on base, manager John Farrell clearly indicated Sandoval’s status on the team. Rather than allow the Panda to bat from the right side in a high-leverage situation, he called for Chris Young to pinch hit.

“So what,” you may ask. Sandoval is a notoriously bad hitter from the right-side of the plate and Young was brought to the Red Sox exactly for his ability to hit lefties. That’s fair. Except, without any healthy infielders on the bench, Farrell was forced to put catcher Christian Vazquez at third in the ninth.

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Essentially, the Red Sox are more comfortable with Vazquez (who hasn’t manned the hot corner since the low minor leagues) at third than seeing Sandoval hit from the right side. This is where the Red Sox are with him.

Sooner or later, they were going to have to make a decision on his status. That decision came sooner with the announcement that he’s headed to the DL with an “inner ear infection.” In addition, Sam Travis and Deven Marrero are coming back up the Pawtucket shuttle while Austin Maddox is headed back down.

Travis figures to pick up some starts against left-handed pitching while the Red Sox overcome the plague of injuries that has hit their infield. Hanley Ramirez is dealing with a minor neck ailment, Dustin Pedroia is considered day-to-day with a rib injury, and Mitch Moreland is playing through a fractured big toe.

As for Deven Marrero, he’s a player Farrell actually trusts in the field. Despite his anemic .157/.195/.301 slash line, he’s seen 29 games at third in place of Sandoval and Josh Rutledge this season.

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If Monday night’s decision to replace Pablo Sandoval with Christian Vazquez wasn’t clear enough, his questionable placement on the DL should paint a clearer picture. The Red Sox are reaching the end of their patience with him and it might be time to start counting down the days until this is all over.