What was expected has become reality. The Red Sox have placed struggling right-hander Justin Masterson on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, retroactive to Wednesday.
The free agent signee has followed a strong start to the season with two disastrous outings. He yielded 10 runs on 13 hits and seven walks in 6 2/3 innings to catapult his ERA from 4.71 to 6.37.
Masterson pitched well in four of five starts before those poor performances against Tampa Bay and Oakland, two of the weaker-hitting teams in the American League. He has traditionally fared far better against right-handed hitters, but owns a 7.43 ERA against them this season.
Left-hander Robbie Ross has been promoted from Triple-A Pawtucket to take the place of Masterson on the big-league roster.