Red Sox to place Daniel Nava on disabled list

The Red Sox will place Daniel Nava on the disabled list according to John Tomase, with Robbie Ross the expected call-up from Pawtucket:

Daniel Nava will be placed on the disabled list, according to a major league source. Looks like Robbie Ross will get call to bolster pen.

— John Tomase (@jtomase) May 28, 2015

It's not entirely clear what exactly ails Nava at this point. Obviously, it's been rough going for him all year long, with a dismal .159/.250/.190 batting line that's seen relatively little improvement in May. But coming off of Wednesday's game, it was Rusney Castillo, absent after hurting himself on a diving grab Tuesday, that seemed in danger of a trip to the disabled list, not Nava.

For Nava's sake, this gap in play will hopefully give him the chance to reset like he did in 2014. On June 4th, Nava returned to the Red Sox from Pawtucket the owner of a .130/.221/.234 batting line. But whatever happened in Triple-A, he looked more-or-less like his old self again, hitting .308/.379/.395 the rest of the way. The Red Sox need that on-base threat right about now, almost as much as they need to keep the Nava they've seen to this point out of the batter's box.

Robbie Ross, meanwhile, will make what is already his fourth trip up from the minors this year. Or third if you don't count his initial stint. His 5.14 ERA isn't pretty, but he at least managed to eat some innings in Rick Porcello's terrible start against Los Angeles, and can be used to keep the bullpen alive should disaster strike again.