Charlie

Zink

Zink is the best knuckleballer currently in the minors, though that’s certainly not saying much. He went 10-11 with a 3.80 ERA, 144 H and 112/78 K/BB in 175 1/3 IP between Single-A Sarasota and Double-A Portland last season. His fall ERA is 4.91, so he’s due to spend at least one more year in the minors.

Forget Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz. What we really want to see if is two knuckleballers can succeed in the same rotation. Zink is 9-2 with a 2.42 ERA, 80 H and 72/34 K/BB in 111 2/3 innings this season. His presence as starting pitching depth is one more reason that the Red Sox should strongly consider trying Masterson as a reliever for the rest of the year.

That was quick. Zink stepped into the rotation for an injured Tim Wakefield, but got rocked in his MLB debut Tuesday night after being handed a 10-run lead in the first inning. He could be back in September, but 28-year-old knuckleballers tend not to get a ton of chances. His demotion signals that Clay Buchholz will likely remain in the rotation following the trade for Paul Byrd.

The knuckleballer is starting in place of Tim Wakefield on Tuesday night.

The Rangers are the last team you’d like to face in your first big-league start, so the Red Sox should not be too quick to judge. Nonetheless, it was clearly an ugly outing for Zink. He actually got through the first four innings without too much trouble, but in the fifth he gave up six hits -- four of them doubles -- and they all ended up scoring.

Boston replaces one knuckleballer with another, choosing Zink over Devern Hansack and David Pauley. At 28 years old Zink is having the best season of his career, going 13-4 with a 2.89 ERA at Triple-A, but facing the high-scoring Rangers is very tough first assignment and it’s unclear how long he’ll remain in the rotation.

It’s been three years since we’ve had occasion to write up Zink, but the now 28-year-old right-hander might be taking a real step forward. He’s 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA, 42 H and 36/19 K/BB in 54 2/3 IP for Pawtucket. He’s had plenty of setbacks along the way, but since he does get plenty of movement with his knuckler, he’s always been a prospect.

Zink, 30, was in the Red Sox organization for close to eight years and was once regarded as a top prospect, but he’s made just one major league appearance thus far. The knuckleballer went 6-15 with a 5.59 ERA last season at Triple-A Pawtcuket and struggled mightily with his control.

Zink had a 6.65 ERA in five starts for Double-A Portland, so his promotion could be temporary. The 25-year-old has moved in the wrong direction since establishing himself as a quality prospect in 2003, but since he throws the knuckleball, he’ll have a long time to figure things out.