The Boston Red Sox designated pitcher Justin Masterson for assignment Sunday, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
Much like the Red Sox as a whole, Masterson has turned in a disappointing 2015 campaign. He sports a 4-2 record but an ugly 5.55 ERA, and manager John Farrell commented on the move, per Tom Caron of NESN:
Boston signed the former Cleveland Indians ace to a one-year deal this offseason worth $9.5 million, per Spotrac.com, in the hopes of adding pitching depth after the departure of Jon Lester. Masterson was an All-Star in 2013 with the Indians but struggled through a knee injury in 2014 and has never replicated that success.
Masterson actually came up in the Boston system and was part of the trade that brought the Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez.
Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com provided a hint at what is to come following this decision:
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for Boston fans that the team wants to add a bullpen arm for Masterson. As of Sunday, the Red Sox were 24th in the league in bullpen ERA and have struggled to close out games throughout the season.
While Boston sits in last place in the American League East and is a long-shot at best in the wild-card race, it still needs to find a way to finish games with the bullpen. Adding more depth in place of Masterson could help it do just that.
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