Who the Red Sox should send down: RHP Ryan Brasier
I know what you're thinking: "What? An outfielder should replace a pitchers' spot on the roster?"
The truth of the matter is, Boston has too many pitchers at this given time. In fact 13 members of their 26-man roster are pitchers, and, while reinforcements for the bullpen and starting rotation are never a bad thing, a good thing is to balance out them with your position players.
When you have nine spots to fill in the lineup, and have only four back-ups for any of those positions, you are left with limited options on the bench. With the limited options off the bench, you are left with pitchers like Kutter Crawford pinch-running for you, and the last thing you want is for your pitchers to get hurt running the bases when it's no longer necessary for them to be there in the first place.
Why Brasier?
In his limited time in with the Red Sox since being claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, Brennan Bernadino has been solid. He has collected a record of 1-0 in five games, with a 0.00 ERA in 5-2/3 innings pitched. He has also struck out five, and walked none, but we're not here to talk about him, at least not directly.
Bernadino's emergence as a lockdown threat out of the bullpen is what has caused this reporter's determination that Brasier should be Designated for Assignment, or at the very least sent down to the minor leagues to work out his mechanics.
In 15 games, Brasier is 1-0 with a 7.98 ERA in 14-2/3 innings pitched. He has also struck out 12, and walked eight with one save. Not exactly impressive numbers, especially when compared to Bernadino who fares well against both lefties and righties.