The Red Sox have shut down 20-year old righty starting pitcher Casey Kelly. Kelly started 21 games in AA-ball this year and he is 3-5 with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. He gave up a whopping 118 hits in only 95 innings in AA-ball this year. Kelly has started 38 games in his first two years as a pitcher in the minors for the BoSox and he is 10-10 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. A strained muscle in Kelly’s back is the reason he’s getting shut down. Kelly was the Red Sox’ #2 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America which explains why they want to protect him.

The Red Sox have placed 27-year old lefty swinging 2B/OF Eric Patterson on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain. Patterson has played in 29 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 17 of 67 (.254 avg, .793 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Red Sox have recalled 27-year old switch hitting outfielder Daniel Nava to replace Patterson on the active roster. Nava played in 30 games earlier this year with the Red Sox and he was 27 of 93 (.290 avg, .835 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs.

25-year old switch hitting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is off to a good start for the Red Sox. He has played in 3 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 2 for 6 (.333 avg, 1.167 OPS) with 1 run scored, 2 doubles and 2 walks. It’s important that the Red Sox let Saltalamacchia play enough the rest of this season to see if they trust him in the future. It’s very possible that Victor Martinez will leave the Red Sox as a free agent after this season so it’s quite possible that Saltalamacchia will be the starting catcher for the BoSox in 2011.

UPDATE: The Red Sox have placed Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the 15-day D.L. with a lower leg infection. The Red Sox have recalled 28-year old righty swinging Dusty Brown from the minors to replace Salty on the active roster. Brown played in 6 games earlier this year for the BoSox and he was 2 for 11 (.182 avg, .364 OPS). This means that Victor Martinez will be playing almost every day until Saltalamacchia returns to action.

34-year old lefty swinging DH David Ortiz got off to a rough start this year. There were whispers around Boston that he was toast. But, Ortiz has been the best power hitter the Red Sox have had the last couple of months. He has played in 104 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 97 of 372 (.261 avg, .899 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 26 homers and 77 RBIs. Ortiz’ bat is slowing down a bit and that will likely keep his batting average down as he has whiffed 113 times already this year. But, he has walked 62 times this season as opposing pitchers would still rather walk him than make a mistake to him. With Kevin Youkilis out for the season the Red Sox need Ortiz to finish the season strongly if they are going to make a legit run at the Rays and Yankees for a playoff spot.

The Red Sox have traded 21-year old righty swinging catcher Michael Thomas to the Rangers as the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade. Thomas played in 31 games in A-ball for the BoSox this year and he was 14 of 90 (.156 avg, .536 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 1 stolen base and 42 whiffs. Thomas played in 50 games in his two years with the Red Sox in the minors and he was 27 of 157 (.172 avg, .576 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 6 homers, 14 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Rangers are planning on converting Thomas to pitching as he does have a strong right arm.