I think in this case you have to look at the worst case scenario. If Colon has one or two games, I'm pretty sure Richard will get put right back in the rotation. Is it going to hurt a young kid like Richard to save himself from more innings now, when he has a future ahead of him. Cooper said that if he doesn't become a mainstay in the rotation in the future, the Sox orginization will have failed him.
I would rather see what Colon has right now and pull him after a few starts then have Richard get worn out for the end of the year when come playoff time (if this happens) we want him in the pen.
To me if Colon sucks, then we can fall back on Richard. But if Richard sucks, can we fall back on Colon? Not sure if this is the right move, but I think it is safer when taking in consideration the present and the future.