David Price placed on IL with elbow tendinitis; Ryan Weber promoted from Pawtucket

In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, the Red Sox placed David Price on the 10-day IL Monday with left elbow tendinitis. The move was made retroactive to last Friday, May 3.

To take Price's spot on the roster, the Red Sox purchased the contract of Ryan Weber from Pawtucket. The Red Sox 40-man roster now stands at 40.

Price pitched the opener of the Red Sox current seven-game road trip last Thursday in Chicago and was effective, allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings. He was in line to pick up the win until the White Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth against the Boston bullpen for a walk-off win.

Weber is 1-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 24 career games with Atlanta, Seattle and Tampa Bay. His last major league appearance came last year with the Rays; his last start in the big leagues was with the Mariners in 2017.

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For now, it's difficult to determine how serious the injury is. The fact that the move was backdated would initially suggest that the Red Sox aren't too concerned about Price being sidelined for an extended period.

The hope is that rest and treatment will take care of the issue.

"It's bothering me right now,'' Price told reporters in Baltimore. "We're just going to take a little bit of time. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. It's nowhere near anything I've had since I've been here....I have a very good understanding of my arm; this is the right course for right now.''

Then again, Price does have a history of forearm/elbow issues. After experiencing soreness in his forearm in spring training, he missed the first six weeks of the 2017 season and when the issue resurfaced, a significant portion of the second half of that same season. When he returned in September, he was utilized out of the bullpen.

In 2018, Price was able to make 30 starts in 2018 and enjoyed a terrific postseason, pitching the Red Sox to victories in the ALCS clincher in Houston and Game 5 of the World Series in Los Angeles.

This season, he's been the most effective and consistent starter in a generally under-performing Red Sox rotation, going at least six innings in five of his first six starts and allowing three earned runs or fewer in four of them. He's 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA.

Price is the second Red Sox starter to head to the IL in the last two weeks. Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the IL last month with loose bodies in his right elbow and underwent surgery that is expected to keep him out until June.

To cover Eovaldi's spot in the rotation, the Red Sox have been using swingman Hector Velazquez.

It's worth noting, however, that the Sox opted to have Josh Smith take that spot in the rotation Monday night in Baltimore, perhaps knowing Sunday that they would need Velazquez to take Price's spot in the rotation Tuesday in the second game of the series at Camden Yards.

In addition to Weber, there are other options in the system should Price be lost for any length of time. Mike Shawaryn is one at Pawtucket, while Double-A lefty Darwinzon Hernandez, who impressed in a relief stint with the Sox last month, is another.