Red Sox will place LHP Franklin Morales on DL

Red Sox reliever and spot starter Franklin Morales won't be around to help in either role for the next few weeks, as Boston is reportedly set to place him on the disabled list, according to WEEI's Alex Speier. Morales is suffering from a recurrence of the pectoral strain that initially interrupted his spring, as he was then attempting to work back from a bulging disc in his back.

Morales has not pitched well this year since returning from the DL, possibly as a side effect of this pectoral issue. He's walked nine batters in 12-1/3 innings, and while he's missing bats, he's also giving up homers to go with those free passes. It's been ugly, and if he's hurting, he's unlikely to help the Red Sox in a temporary starting role, anyway. They're better off placing him on the disabled list and working through it with alternatives in the meantime.

Just who will replace Morales on the roster is unknown, as the move isn't official yet. Jose De La Torre is currently in Pawtucket, though, and Clayton Mortensen has been pitching on a rehab assignment, so either of those two are likely candidates, with Mortensen's status depending entirely on whether or not the Sox think he's ready to return now, or if he could use some extra time that summoning De La Torre first could give him.

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