Sox Drawer: Lester gets the call (hooray!)

There is a God.

Obviously heeding the advice of every single member of RSN, especially those of us empowered by Blogger, according to today's Globe Terry Francona has announced that Jon Lester will be brought up from AAA Pawtucket to start tomorrow night in Cleveland in place of ineffective Julian Tavarez.

The 23-year old lefty was a promising prospect who began his major league career last season by going 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA before a trip to the doctor revealed that he was suffering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Exactly one year ago tomorrow is when Lester made his last start for the parent club before getting his dire diagnosis, and now after a year of intense treatment and rehabbing, the determined young man will return to a major league mound having overcome one of life's most devastating curveballs.

Tavarez, who has plummeted from a solid fifth starter to a hazard on the mound in recent weeks, will return to the bullpen, a move I trumpeted after his last start in which he gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings against KC on Wednesday.

It was Julie's third straight start in which he could not make it out of the fifth and fourth time in his last five starts, and in that time he has surrendered 26 (20 earned) runs and 41 hits in 23 1/3 innings for a horrendous 7.71 ERA.

After witnessing him breeze through the first three innings and then falter in the fourth & fifth, myself and many other rationalized that a return to the bully was necessary for a 34-year-old hurler who can only give you three decent innings at this stage of his career.

And with Lester as strong as ever after battling a pesky arm injury during his rehab, and after making enough starts in AAA to realize that he's as healthy & ready as he can be his, promotion and Julie's demotion was basically a no-brainer.

Welcome back to the bigs, Jon.

You've certainly earned it.