Red Sox To Promote Aaron Cook

The Red Sox will call up Aaron Cook from the Pawtucket Red Sox today according to a report from Rob Bradford, ensuring that the right-handed pitcher will not leave the team via an opt-out clause in his contract.

While Bobby Valentine said yesterday that Cook would be in the bullpen were he to join the team--and certainly the bullpen could use his help--it seems very possible that he could end up in the rotation. Cook is already stretched out, having maintained a 1.89 ERA over 33 innings in five Triple-A starts, and the team may have already begun to sow the seeds for a trip to the disabled list for Clay Buchholz with the talk of blisters yesterday.

The Red Sox had apparently been shopping Cook as the deadline for his opt-out drew near. While Speier says that they received interest from multiple teams, it seems as though the Sox were simply looking for anyone desperate and willing to overpay.

To call Cook up, the Red Sox will need to make space on the 40-man roster. Justin Thomas seems the likely choice to provide that spot.