April 24, 2008 at 7:08 AM
Masterson to Boston
According to the Portland Press Herald, Justin Masterson will get the call to Boston to make a spot start for the big league club this afternoon. The need for a spot starter has arisen largely due to a bad flu bug going around the Sox clubhouse. Josh Beckett was scratched Tuesday because of the flu and a stiff neck. Yesterday, Jon Lester had to pitch on three days rest to fill in for Daisuke Matsuzaka, also out with the flu. Jason Varitek and Manny Delcarmen have also been out for several days. Masterson, 23, was 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 5 walks in four starts for AA Portland. Following the recent "graduation" of Jacoby Ellsbury, Masterson is the Red Sox' #2 prospect according to SoxProspects.com. He'll likely take the place of Craig Hansen, as the Sox continue rotating through optioned players until they're back to full health. While Masterson's stint will also likely be a short one, the team has plans for him to begin contributing full-time come August or so. Last July, he took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions from SoxProspects.