CHICAGO -- According to an industry source, the Red Sox feel confident that by shutting down right-hander Josh Beckett for a start or two, they will be able to keep him healthy for the greater part of the season going forward. The team will re-evaluate the health of the pitcher's right shoulder (which is suffering from what manager Bobby Valentine described as "a little bit of inflammation") on Saturday before making a determination about whether he is more likely to miss one start or two.
If he will be sidelined for two starts, then the team would place him on the disabled list. If he will only miss Sunday’s start, then he will remain on the active roster. For now, the team has not made a determination of the pitcher's availability beyond Sunday, when he will be bypassed in favor of left-hander Franklin Morales.
Beckett is 4-7 with a 4.14 ERA. He is tied for the Red Sox team lead with eight quality starts, and he is tied for second in the American League (with Justin Verlander) for the most starts of at least seven innings with eight.
For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [1].
Links:
[1] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox