Red Sox call Matt Barnes up, move Shane Victorino to 60-day disabled list

The Red Sox have called up right-handed pitcher Matt Barnes, their first-round pick in the 2011 draft.

Barnes, once considered one of Boston's top prospects, has seen his stock drop after a relatively ineffective 2013 and a rough start to the 2014 season, with control issues cropping up and leaving him the victim of plenty of runs between Portland and Pawtucket. the past couple months have seen a return to form for Barnes, however, with his last 60 innings resulting in just 14 earned runs on 34 hits, 15 walks, and 52 strikeouts.

Barnes is the latest in a long series of Triple-A arms coming up to grab some playing time on the 2014 Red Sox, but he may not end up in the rotation like Allen Webster, Brandon Workman, Rubby De La Rosa, and Anthony Ranaudo before him. With the rotation very full, and Barnes already having thrown a career-high in terms of innings, the Red Sox could be looking to get him some bullpen appearances, even if the long-term plan is still to have him starting.

Barnes' arrival marks the last call-up for the group of then-prospects Red Sox fans once referred to as "The Three B's" in Barnes, Bradley, and Bogaerts. All three have certainly seen better times. Expectations are still high for Bogaerts despite a few terrible months, but Jackie Bradley Jr.'s lack of development at the plate this long after his initial call-up has put a dent in the optimism that once surrounded him, and Barnes is only just now re-emerging on the scene as top prospects in the organization's farm system. Hopefully Barnes will seize the opportunity to validate the expectations once placed on him, but regardless of what he does, it sure is funny to see all three being outshined by some guy named "Betts."

The counter-move for Barnes, who was not previously on the 40-man roster, is a trip to the 60-day disabled list for Shane Victorino. Frankly, I think most of us assumed by this point that he was already there.