Red Sox send Buchholz to bullpen

“This is something that’s been done for a lot of years”.

Farrell said the plan for Buchholz was to use him Sunday at the earliest, but Buchholz was lobbying for the possibility of pitching Saturday and Farrell didn’t rule it out.

Alas, the bullpen is where Buchholz will call home for the time-being.

The Red Sox have the expectations to compete this season, and they can’t afford to be giving away games that Buchholz is starting with the hope that he pitches to his potential. He will be used as a multiple-inning reliever, Farrell said, “until we get some repetition and appearances out of the bullpen”. Through 10 starts, he is 2-5 with a 6.35 ERA.

Buchholz, meanwhile, has been terrible in 10 starts.

The Fenway Park crowd was not kind to Clay Buchholz as he exited Thursday night’s loss.

The 31-year-old Buchholz has been a head case for the Red Sox brass for years, and his performance in 2016 has been the most troubling of all.

On Friday, the struggling pitcher learned that he is no longer in the rotation.

“Bottom line is the results”. And I think there’s been a strong precedent set.

Rodriguez will make his first start in the majors this season after recovering from a knee injury he suffered in spring training. David Price has a sub-3 ERA in his last five starts, Steven Wright has one of the top ERA’s in the AL, and Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly have both been showing consistency getting deep into games.