Red Sox activate left-handed pitcher Robbie Ross Jr. from 10-day disabled list

Prior to today's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, left-handed pitcher Robbie Ross Jr. was returned from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket and activated from the 10-day disabled list. To make room on the 25-man roster, right-handed pitcher Ben Taylor was optioned to Pawtucket.
 
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
 
Ross, 27, was placed on the disabled list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with influenza. The left-hander, who made his third consecutive Opening Day roster in 2017, averaged a career-best 9.11 strikeouts per nine innings (56 SO/55.1 IP) over his 54 relief appearances for Boston in 2016. In addition, he held left-handed hitters to a .188 batting average (15-for-80), the eighth-lowest mark among all American League pitchers in 2016 (minimum 95 batters faced). For his major league career, Ross has gone 16-12 with six saves, a 3.83 ERA (137 ER/321.2 IP), and 265 strikeouts in 258 games (12 starts) between the Texas Rangers (2012-14) and Red Sox (2015-16).
 
Taylor, 24, made his first career Opening Day roster despite having never pitched above the Double-A level prior to 2017. Selected by the Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2015 June Draft, he allowed only one run in 5.1 innings (1.69 ERA) over three relief appearances with Boston, striking out seven batters and allowing only three hits. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Taylor is the only Red Sox pitcher in the expansion era to strike out each of his first three batters faced in the major leagues. Ranked by Baseball America as Boston's No. 21 prospect entering the 2017 season, Taylor has posted a 2.49 ERA (21 ER/76.0 IP), a .198 opponent batting average, and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 37 career relief appearances in the minor leagues.