Clayton Mortensen to begin rehab assignment with Pawtucket

Clayton Mortensen is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Pawtucket Red Sox, which should have him back with the major league team as soon as roster space allows it uh, I mean, as soon as he feels one-hundred percent again.

Mortensen has been absent since pitching an inning on June 10th, which just happens to be when the Red Sox and Rays went 14, with the Sox burning no fewer than seven pitchers in the process. With none of Boston's expendable arms having any options left, Mortensen was the one to suddenly come down with an injury necessitating a trip to the disabled list, making room for Jose De La Torre.

So why Mortensen? Well that's not terribly hard to figure out. With a 5.34 ERA and 21:16 K:BB, Mortensen has been by far the least impressive of Boston's bullpen options. This is not terribly surprising, either, as Mortensen's peripherals from 2012 promised plenty of regression.

While Boston's bullpen is still fairly full, there is a space left for Mortensen assuming the Red Sox are willing to send Alex Wilson back to the minors yet again. It's not the decision that provides the highest-quality bullpen, but the Sox have always been stingy with letting their players escape the system, no matter how questionable their value to the team. Chances are Mortensen is here to stay until the Sox have an indispensable replacement or simply any better arm who can't be sent down to Triple-A.

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