Eduardo Rodriguez Optioned To Triple-A Pawtucket After Disastrous Outing Against Rays
BOSTON (CBS) -- Whatever the issue is for Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, he will need to figure it out at Triple-A Pawtucket. The team optioned Rodriguez shortly after his latest outing against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg in which he allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings of a 13-7 loss.
The Red Sox have not announced a replacement for Rodriguez in the rotation, with Henry Owens and Roenis Elias the most likely candidates. Another arm who could get a shot is Aaron Wilkerson, who threw seven solid innings for the Pawtucket Red Sox Monday night. With a day off coming up on Thursday, the Red Sox will not need a fifth starter until next week.
Neither president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski nor manager John Farrell would give any vote of confidence to outside help arriving to boost the rotation any time soon.
"I have to remain focused on the guys internally here," Farrell said after the game, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. "Whether there's an option that is an upgrade internally, that's one thing. But to say that someone else is going to walk through that door from another organization, I'm not banking on that."
A visibly upset Dustin Pedroia visited Rodriguez on the mound during the game, but declined to go into details of their conversation.
"What did I say to Eddie? Do you honestly think I'm going to tell you that? I was talking to him about baseball," said Pedroia when asked about the mound visit. "I talk to all my teammates, every day. That's about it."
Rodriguez heads to Pawtucket after a 1-3 start to the 2016 season, a disappointing follow-up to his promising rookie season. His season ERA ballooned to 8.59 after the loss.
