Red Sox Reliever Hideki Okajima Lands On DL

Hideki Okajima joined about a dozen of his Red Sox teammates today as he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a calf strain. Lefty prospect Felix Doubront has been called up from AAA Pawtucket to take his spot in the bullpen.

For Okajima the move may signal the end of his Red Sox career. The 34-year old southpaw pitched professionally in Japan for 12 seasons, primarily as a set-up man. He came to Boston in 2006 as an international free agent and was instantly a success.

In the 2007 season, he emerged as one of Boston's primary relievers, throwing 66 innings to the tune of a 2.22 ERA and a .971 WHIP. He was voted in as the final player for the All-Star game that year, and played a heavy role in helping the Red Sox win the World Series.

His 2008 and 2009 seasons were equally successful, and the Red Sox resigned the lefty to a 1-year/$2.75 million contract. His 2010 season, however, has been short of stellar.

In only 32.1 innings this year, Okajima has a disastrous 5.85 ERA and a WHIP that is hovering around two. He's also walking more batters, dishing out 15 free passes to go along with only 24 strikeouts. His fastball has consistently been in the high 80s and the deceptive delivery that once befuddled hitters seems to have finally been figured out.

Okajima will likely sit out the rest of the season and allow the Red Sox to get a strong look at Doubront, a hulking 22-year old pitcher out of the Dominican Republic who has already made three spot-starts for Boston. Doubront has only made one appearance out of the bullpen for AAA Pawtucket, but has already shown the ability to get major league hitters out.

The Red Sox hold a team option on Okajima for 2011, but will likely decline it and allow Okajima to return to Japan.