The Red Sox recalled left-hander Hideki Okajima from Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday. Fellow lefty Felix Doubront was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for the one-time All-Star who pitched well in the minors.
Okajima threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings after starting the year with the PawSox. He struck out five and did not walk a batter, showing what the team needed to see in order to bring him back up, which was a near certainty at some point in time. Okajima was signed to a $1.75 million contract in January.
"He's been coming in and throwing strikes," manager Terry Francona said. "We know that when Okie is doing that he can be a solid, reliable major league pitcher."
The move was made Monday so that Okajima could travel with the team on its nine-game road trip, which begins Tuesday in Oakland. Rather than taking Doubront, the lone lefty in the bullpen before the move, out to the West Coast and then having to fly him back, it made more sense to make the swap now.
Doubront, who missed most of March due to elbow issues, was already in a situation that was not conducive to either him or the team. For one, the organization wants to get him stretched out as a starter, a process which can now begin in earnest. Also, a solitary lefty is often warmed up more than once in a game before coming in. That wasn't what the team wanted to do with Doubront at this time. Okajima is used to it.
The 25-year-old Okajima was all smiles in the Red Sox clubhouse Saturday morning. It was an extension of his attitude in camp down in Fort Myers. Despite being a fixture in the Boston bullpen over the past four seasons, he knew he was a candidate to start the year in the minors, but showed he was willing to work his way back.
"Instead of going and pouting and feeling sorry for himself, he went and got a lot of people out," Francona said.
Okajima was 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 56 games for Boston last year. He was 12-4 with six saves and a 2.72 ERA over his first three seasons with the club, making the All-Star team in his rookie year in 2007.
