Justin Masterson a welcome presence in the shaky Red Sox bullpen

It was expected that Justin Masterson would rejoin the Red Sox after the All-Star break, this time as a reliever. However, the rookie right-hander's return to the big leagues was faster than expected. Masterson was recalled from Pawtucket today and David Aardsma was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury.

Boston's bullpen undoubtedly needs a lift. Aardsma, though, is one of the few Red Sox relievers with palatable numbers. The hard-throwing Aardsma has 26 walks in 39.1 innings, which I'm sure causes regular headaches for pitching coach John Farrell, but he also has struck out 41 and allowed just 29 hits. His ERA is 2.75.

Masterson was impressive as a starter for Boston, posting a 4-3 record and a 3.67 ERA in nine starts. Some Red Sox officials believe he will be a dominant set-up man, thus the reason he was sent to Pawtucket, where tossed a scoreless inning in each of his first two appearances as a Paw Sox reliever before serving up two runs and two hits in 1.1 innings of work on July 17.

Though I would rather see Masterson replace Javier Lopez, Mike Timlin or Craig Hansen, he is a welcome presence in the Red Sox bullpen. Will Masterson serve as the effective bridge to Jonathan Papelbon that Boston has been missing all season? We will soon find out.