With all of the injuries and all of the activity necessary to account for a full roster of 25 healthy players, it figured Friday would be one of the busiest pre-game updates of the season.

And manager Terry Francona – with the help of GM Theo Epstein – didn’t disappoint.

Jason Varitek was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a minimally displaced fracture of the second metatarsal on the top of his left foot.

“He needs to be in a boot, he needs to be non-weight-bearing for two-to-three weeks and we’ll see how quickly he can heal,” Francona said. “Very similar to [Dustin Pedroia] in the diagnosis, just a different bone. The time frame we’ll see. We don’t know.”

Varitek and Victor Martinez [broken left thumb] are both on the DL.

[Click here to listen to Francona explain how Varitek was injured on Wednesday night against the Rays.]

Manny Delcarmen was placed on the DL with a sore right forearm and reliever Robert Manuel was called up to take his place. Manuel was recently selected to the 2010 Triple A All-Star game, having posted a 1.54 ERA out of the bullpen in 41 innings pitched thus far. He has gone 4-1 with eight saves in as many opportunities.

With the Red Sox making a move with the Astros to help a depleted catching situation that is also without Victor Martinez, Francona said that in getting Cash, who played for the Red Sox in 2007 and ’08, Epstein acquired the “perfect guy.”

Niuman Romero, a switch-hitting infielder who has played mostly shortstop and third base in the minors, was called up to replace Angel Sanchez, who went to Houston in the deal, on the roster.

The Red Sox entered play Friday night with a 47-32 record, the third-best mark in the majors and just 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees were beaten earlier Friday in extra innings by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Francona spoke about a trio of Red Sox pitchers to encounter injuries lately. Francona said that Josh Beckett‘s most recent session went “very well,” and that he tossed 41 pitches. Beckett will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip and will pitch a Gulf Coast League game on Tuesday. The team plans on Beckett throwing 55 pitches.

And finally, Clay Buchholz, who pitched just one inning in his start last Saturday in San Francisco before leaving with a hyperextended knee, is doing “very well” and is slated to start on Monday in St. Petersburg against Tampa Bay.

Jason Varitek was very honest after his battery mate Daisuke Matsuzaka went out and threw six scoreless innings Tuesday night in his return to the majors after three months sidelined with shoulder fatigue. The Red Sox captain admitted he, like everyone else, didn’t know what to expect.

” I don’t see how anybody (doesn’t have nerves),” Varitek said of what he was feeling as he got ready to catch the Red Sox righty. “You play your first spring training game you have a little nerves. You play your first game you haven’t played in a little while, you have a little nerves. I can’t speak for him but nerves, excitement, all the above, I had them, too. I didn’t know what (to expect).”

For the first time since catching him on June 19 in a loss to the Atlanta Braves, Varitek had the chance to see first-hand how much Matsuzaka had improved.

And it was clear to see for all, including Varitek, from the first pitch in the first inning that Matsuzaka was locating his fastball for strikes. That first pitch was a strike to Angels leadoff man Chone Figgins. The irony was that he went up 0-2 before losing him to a walk on seven pitches. But still Varitek had reason to feel optimistic.   Read the rest of this entry »