The Boston Globe is reporting that the Red Sox will call up starting pitcher Clay Buchholz and send Justin Masterson back to Triple-A Pawtucket to get some seasoning as a reliever. The Globe story also provides updates on David Ortiz in his recovery from a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist.

Buchholz won’t make a lot of waves in his return to the fantasy baseball player pool, not until he has a dominant outing anyway. Keeper leaguers should be on red alert, as there is a lot of incentive to buy into him early. With manager Terry Francona implying that this is a permanent move, Buchholz will have every opportunity to hit the ground running again in Boston. 

The 23-year old was placed on the disabled list on May 14 with a broken nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He was activated on May 25 and sent to Pawtucket on a rehab assignment, where he has been ever since.

He has made nine Triple-A starts, going 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. Buchholz was touched up in his last start, giving up five runs in five innings in a loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but was otherwise dominant in his last handful of outings.

In eight starts with Boston, Buchholz was erratic but showed flashes of brilliance. He struck out better than a batter per inning and had a 1.04 ERA in three home starts, but struggled on the road with an 8.64 ERA and .318 opponents batting average.

With that information in mind, our recommendation would be to take a flier on Buchholz, if you have the roster flexibility to do so. Give him a start or two to get his bearings before trusting him in your active lineup. Monitor his starts closely and use extreme discretion when he is due to pitch on the road.

As for Masterson, his fantasy value will be limited when he returns to Boston as a reliever. He did prove himself worthy of a big league roster spot, though, and should provide a nice lift to the Red Sox’s ‘pen.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.