Eduardo Rodriguez to miss next start with sore knee

Eduardo Rodriguez will miss his next rehab start, scheduled originally for Thursday night, with knee soreness. Kind of the last thing you want to hear about a pitcher who's trying to come back from a dislocated kneecap in the first place.

It's been a rough road back to action for Rodriguez, who was originally expected to be returning to the rotation right about now. His performances in Pawtucket have left something to be desired, with the organization looking for him to get closer to 100% before he finally made his way back up to Boston.

Now...well, we might want to buckle in for a long wait. Rodriguez' allotted rehab time is running out, yes, but the Red Sox have a pair of options they could use to effectively extend it for as long as they feel necessary. Or, if this soreness proves more serious, they could place him on the disabled list again, and start the process over--if not completely, then at least from a couple steps back.

The Red Sox rotation, meanwhile, could really use the up-and-coming young lefty back. The fourth and fifth spot in the rotation have been a complete train wreck pretty much from the get-go, and none of the Triple-A options are really giving the Sox much reason to hope for help from within. Joe Kelly had a fantastic start for Pawtucket yesterday, and is set to return...but we've all seen what relying on him has gotten the Red Sox in the past.

No, things don't look great for the back-end of Boston's rotation right now. If Clay Buchholz (whose persistence is perhaps explained by this news) was ever going to step up...now would be the time. Otherwise, especially if Rodriguez' setback is significant, we might see the Red Sox get to trading sooner rather than later.