Red Sox Place Steven Wright On DL With Left Knee Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox rotation will be without Steven Wright for the foreseeable future.
Boston placed the knuckleballer on the 10-day disabled list with left knee inflammation on Tuesday, a move retroactive to June 23. Wright was next slated to pitch Thursday night's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park.
Wright's season began on the disabled list as he recovered from having cartilage injected into his left knee. He didn't make his season debut until May 15, but the 33-year-old has pitched well for the Red Sox, touting a 2-1 record with a 3.38 ERA in 10 appearances (including four starts). Wright went on a 24.2-inning scoreless streak recently, the second-longest streak by any MLB pitcher this season, but was roughed up for 10 earned runs over 3.1 innings in his most recent start, a 14-10 Boston win over the Seattle Mariners.
Wright said he'll still play while on the DL, he just won't be throwing off the mound. As for the inflammation, it's something he's dealt with since coming back.
"It's such a different surgery. It's something we've been dealing with since I started coming back. You're going to have peaks and valleys and the last couple of weeks it just hasn't responded the way I've wanted to," Wright told reporters inside Fenway Park on Tuesday. "It wasn't anything I felt I couldn't go out and perform, but after [Friday's start] I talked to the trainers and collectively agreed to just let it calm down a little bit."
"I'm just going to take it day-by-day," he said. "The way the surgery is, when your knee is talking to you, you just have to listen."
With the Red Sox enjoying an off-day on Monday, it's likely lefty Eduardo Rodriguez will get the start Thursday night against the Angels.
Right-hander Justin Haley was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Wright's spot on the 25-man roster. The 27-year-old is 4-6 over his 12 starts for Pawtucket this season, sporting a 3.06 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. He made his Red Sox debut on June 13, tossing two scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles.
