HOUSTON -- Red Sox manager John Farrell continued to juggle his bullpen on Wednesday to counter the piling injuries and fatigue.
Farrell said placing left-handed reliever Matt Thornton on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain was not something the team wanted to do, but had to out of necessity.
“When you get into the oblique injury, even though he feels improved from the time on Sunday when he first suffered the injury, this is something that we don’t feel like we want to rush with the potential of any kind of setback,” Farrell said. “The fact is, we also needed another arm in here after last night’s bullpen use.”
Steven Wright, who struggled to control his knuckleball in the indoor Minute Maid Park and lasted only one inning on Tuesday in his first career start, will move back to the bullpen, primarily as a long reliever, Farrell said.
The Sox also recalled right-hander Pedro Beato to replace Thornton on the roster.
Farrell was optimistic about what he saw from reliever Rubby De La Rosa in his Red Sox debut on Tuesday night. De La Rosa retired the side in the ninth inning, striking out two, in the 15-10 victory.
“In shorter stints, he does a great job of channeling the adrenaline,” Farrell said. “With that kind of power, it was very encouraging.”
Farrell didn’t rule out De La Rosa’s availability for Wednesday night’s game. He also mentioned the possibility of De La Rosa’s role expanding in the near future.
“Staying consistent with what we’ve done with other guys, as they pitch and gain confidence, their responsibility will grow,” Farrell said.
