J.D. Drew Injury: Red Sox RF Going On DL

Sean McAdam reported Sunday evening that Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew will be placed on the Disabled List with a shoulder impingement.

Drew, in the last year of his five-season, $70 million contract, has suffered through the worst season of his career. By a lot. There will inevitably be some suggestions that Drew's not really hurt; that the Red Sox are essentially inventing an injury to free up roster space without having to release Drew (which would be pretty embarrassing to all parties).

But Drew's batting .219/.317/.305 this season in 77 games. Considering his track record, isn't an injury the most likely explanation for his terribleness?

Considering Carl Crawford's struggles in left field and Drew's struggles in right, it's somewhat surprising that the Red Sox have the best record in the American League. Crawford's presumably going to play better, and Josh Reddick can't be worse than Drew's been. While Jacoby Ellsbury's probably been over his head some, there's no reason to think Drew's absence will slow this team down.