Josh Beckett Injury: Updates on Red Sox Pitcher's Injured Shoulder

It appears as if the Boston Red Sox's rough season is about to get worse, as news has broken that they are going to be losing starting pitcher Josh Beckett to the 15-day disabled list because of an injured shoulder.

The last update on Beckett's shoulder was that it was sore because of inflammation in the joint and that he would miss his scheduled start on Sunday night, but Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo tweets that he'll be going on the DL now:

"

Looks like Josh Beckett heading to 15 day disabled list with sore right shoulder.

— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) June 16, 2012"

This is a huge loss for the Sox, who are currently dead last in a very tough American League East. They sit 7.5 games behind the division-leading Yankees, and they can't afford to lose the best pitcher in their rotation.

That said, the Sox are doing the smart thing here by allowing Beckett time to rest. Any time a pitcher is dealing with a sore shoulder, it's much better to be safe than sorry, so fans will have to hope the rest will give him time to heal up and get back to normal.

The bad news is that it's going to be real tough for the Sox to claw back in this division without their ace. Even at this point in the season, every game counts.

The sooner Beckett can get fully healthy the better it will be for the Red Sox. As of right now, it appears as if they'll be without him for the next 15 days, though.

Check back in for more updates on Beckett as they become available.