New York Mets call up starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka

Do you remember Daisuke Matsuzaka?

If you are need of a refresher course, “Dice-K” was awarded tens of millions of dollars from the Boston Red Sox as a part of a highly scrutinized bidding process, and upon arrival in Boston, he was very, very good at times. However, the bottom has fallen out for the 33-year-old in recent years, and he was in the minor leagues as a member of the New York Mets.

Until Wednesday.

The Mets have called up Matsuzaka while outrighting John Lannan (who will now choose between the minors and free agency), and at the moment, it is widely reported that Dice-K will serve as a member of New York’s bullpen. That is probably the right move based upon how Matsuzaka has performed in a starting role over the past two seasons, as the results have been a mess.

In 2012 with the Red Sox, the veteran right-hander posted a staggering 8.28 ERA over 11 starts, and he managed to navigate only 45.2 innings in those appearances. Following that meltdown, he landed with the Mets, but he made only 7 starts in New York, although he did improve drastically to a 4.42 ERA in 38.2 innings.

The opinions range wildly on whether Dice-K will ever be a positive contributor to an MLB pitching staff again, but doing so in a pitcher-friendly park with low expectations may be the ticket, and that’s what he’ll have with the Mets.