It’s been a long time coming, but the Red Sox will place the struggling J.D. Drew on the disabled list Monday due to an impingement in his left shoulder, CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam reports.
The Red Sox certainly appear to be better off with Josh Reddick in right field anyway, and they’ve been using him there since Carl Crawford came off the disabled list. Reddick went 2-for-5 with an RBI today and is hitting .365 with four homers and 19 RBI in 95 at-bats for Boston.
Drew has similar power numbers. Unfortunately, they’ve comes in 2 1/2 times as much playing time. Drew has hit .219 with four homers and 21 RBI in 233 at-bats.
Believe it or not, it will be Drew’s first DL stint since 2008. He’s managed to stay relatively healthy three straight years, but because he’s had such a difficult season, there has been talk that the Red Sox might release him in advance of him becoming a free agent this winter.
There hasn’t been any word yet on who will replace Drew on the roster, but infielder Drew Sutton is an obvious candidate.
Update: It sounds like the Red Sox will go to 13 pitchers, if only briefly. Jon Lester, slated to start tomorrow night, is expected to take Drew’s roster slot.