Seems odd that they'd make this switch now. Just going by my recollection of box scores the past few weeks, Coco Chanel's been hitting better than he ever has in the hated Sawx uni, while Ellsbury's batting average has been plummeting -- can't recall if his walk rate has suffered similarly. Would seem a smarter move earlier, when Ellsbury was smoking the ball after his promotion and Chanel was being Chanel.

Ellsbury 1 of 3 now -- weak squib in front of the plate, infield hit to ss, and infield popup.

As a Sox fan, it's really amazing to see promising rookies appearing with some regularity. I'm curious though what the Sox will do with Brandon Moss. He's hitting really well in Pawtucket but unless (until?) Drew gets hurt, there's no room for a corner OF.

Ellsbury was brought up because Coco has a minor injury, and needs a few games off. This isn't a permanent shift; I suspect Ellsbury will be back in Pawtucket within a week. Also, there's some benefit in giving Ellsbury his first taste of MLB in a relatively low-pressure situation -- midseason games against lesser teams.

And if there's any thought to using a revived Coco as trade bait, they'd want to get a quick sense of whether Ellsbury is ready to step up.