Dice-K Goes Flying On Injured Trapezius

No "Dice" For A While Yet

Forget about that short-term conundrum of who to bounce from the rotation once Daisuke Matsuzaka comes back. Turns out, there is no "comeback" right now, just a "sore back". Bobby Vaneltine announced on Sunday that a sore right trapezius muscle (upper back) was bad enough to require an injection. Dice-K's next re-hab start was scrapped and now there is no realistic timetable for his return.

Considering the fact that he's recovering from Tommy John surgery, we should not have bought into the encouraging 'early return' mumbo jumbo—especially with the track record of the Red Sox medical staff over the last few years. Of course, this news just intensifies the need for Roy Oswalt—who has already thrown for the Red Sox and wants to make a decision in the next week or so as to where he goes for the balance of 2012.