ATLANTA — Justin Slaten tried to pitch through a sore arm as a rookie last season, which only made it worse and he landed on the injured list for nearly two months.
So when the 27-year-old Red Sox righthander felt some discomfort in his shoulder after pitching an inning against the Brewers on Wednesday, he alerted the team.
That his fastball velocity dipped was another sign. Nothing changed over a few days and Slaten went on the IL on Sunday [retroactive to Thursday] with what was termed inflammation.
Righthander Luis Guerrero was recalled from Triple A Worcester.
“Just a matter of getting ahead of it and taking care of it before something major could happen,” Slaten said.
During spring training, the Sox impressed upon Slaten the need to be honest about how he felt after what happened last season.
“I told him [Saturday], I appreciate you being honest,” manager Alex Cora said.
Slaten has been the primary setup man for closer Aroldis Chapman. Cora said the Sox will mix and match until he returns. Greg Weissert and Justin Wilson will likely get much of the opportunity.
So far, the Sox don’t think Slaten needs an MRI.
“Just general fatigue, just get ahead of it,” he said. “Give the shoulder a little time to calm down.”
Slaten had a 3.47 earned run average over 24 appearances this season. He has allowed fewer hits per nine innings than last season but his walks are up and strikeouts down.
Change of plans
The Sox were planning to give Kristian Campbell his first start at first base on Sunday. But they stayed with Abraham Toro for the third straight game.
Toro was 2 for 4 with a run scored in a 3-1 victory against the Braves. He was 6 of 11 in the series and batted cleanup for the second time on Sunday in 383 major league games.
“Toro’s pushing the envelope,” Cora said. “He’s putting good at-bats.”
As to when Campbell will play first, Cora said only that the coaches will keep working with him.
Campbell started at second base and was 1 for 4.
Shuffling the deck
The Sox switched up utility players, calling up Nate Eaton and demoting Nick Sogard.
Eaton, a righthanded hitter, hit .277 with an .810 OPS at Worcester and started games at every position except first base, catcher, and pitcher.
With lefthanders Tyler Anderson and Yusei Kikuchi scheduled to pitch for the Angels on Monday and Tuesday at Fenway Park, Eaton could be in the lineup.
Eaton, who didn’t play on Sunday, appeared in 72 games for the Royals from 2022-23, hitting .201 with a .549 OPS. He was signed as a minor league free agent in November.
“They just told me to be ready with the slate of guys we face coming up,” he said. “Definitely nice being part of the Red Sox organization.”
Sogard is a switch-hitter but the Sox wanted to get a look at Eaton.
The graduate
Richard Fitts graduated from Auburn recently, having completed his degree in business administration. He left school after three years to sign with the Yankees after being drafted in 2021 and finished up online. Fitts is scheduled to start Monday night in the first game of a three-game series against the Angels at Fenway Park. The Sox plan to use Hunter Dobbins for multiple innings in relief. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito will follow in the rotation … Jarren Duran is hitless in his last 16 at-bats, dropping his OPS to .718 … The Sox are 11-6 at Truist Park since 2017, and again this weekend a good percentage of fans were rooting for the visiting team … To make room for Eaton on the 40-man roster, the Sox designated Triple A catcher Blake Sabol for assignment. He was 2 for 16 in eight games with the major league team earlier this season.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.
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