March 17, 2010 at 6:02 PM
Richardson optioned to Pawtucket
The Red Sox continued to trim their roster on Wednesday, optioning reliever Dustin Richardson to Triple-A Pawtucket. Manager Terry Francona cited Richardson's need to work on his strike zone command as the primary reason for the move. The tall, hard-throwing left-hander had been battling for a spot in the Boston bullpen, but had not faired well so far this spring, giving up 3 earned runs on 5 hits, 3 walks and a hit batsman in just 1.2 innings. Now 26 years old, Richardson appeared in 45 games out of the bullpen last season for Portland and Pawtucket after having worked as a starting pitcher since joining the organization. He posted a 2.55 ERA to go along with 96 strikeouts in 74.0 innings, also managing 3.1 scoreless frames for Boston in September. A fifth-round pick by the Red Sox in 2006, Richardson owns a career record of 22-21 with a 4.11 ERA in 110 minor league appearances, including 50 starts.