NESN

Red Sox Place Scott Atchison on the Disabled List, Promote Reliever Junichi Tazawa In His Place

Scott Atchison, arguably the best reliever the Red Sox have had this season, has landed on the disabled list.

Atchison has been dealing with a forearm strain since last weekend's series against the Yankees. Despite a four-day respite, Atchison still felt tightness during Friday's appearance against the Rays.

The injury prompted the Red Sox to place Atchison on the 15-day disabled list and promote right-hander Junichi Tazawa. Considering Atchison primarily tosses cutters and breaking balls, the move was necessary since those pitches typically strain the elbow.

"The other night, I just couldn't really let it go like I wanted to," Atchison told reporters in St. Petersburg. "I went out and tried to throw this morning to see how it's feeling. It feels a lot better than it did the other night, but there's still a little bit in there. We're just going to give it a little time to calm down."

But before Sunday's game, Atchison told reporters in St. Petersburg that his injury was minor. The trip to the disabled list is more of a precaution, since his style of pitching wouldn't be conducive to his long-term health.

In his last outing, Atchison tossed 14 pitches and logged 2/3 of an inning, yielding one unearned run. He also struck out a batter.

Through 37 games and 42 innings this season, Atchison has shined in the bullpen, posting a 1.76 ERA and 2-1 record. He's only allowed 37 hits and 10 runs while striking out 34 batters.

Tazawa, meanwhile, bolstered the bullpen in his last major league stint. Back in April, the Japanese hurler tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and converted a save in five appearances for the Red Sox.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.