Red Sox manager Terry Francona says the team is slowing Josh Beckett down in his rehab from lower back strain. Francona said pitching coach John Farrell noticed inconsistencies in Beckett's side session on Friday and the inability to repeat his delivery, which caused the team to be concerned about him injuring himself by over-compensating in an effort to rush back to the rotation.
"We're going to slow him down a little bit," Francona said before Saturday's game. "He's not able to repeat his delivery consistently enough, and that worries us."
Beckett landed on the disabled list on May 19 with lower back strain after slipping on the mound at Yankee Stadium while throwing a splitter to to Alex Rodriguez on May 18. Before Saturday, Francona said the team was hopeful that Beckett would miss just one start and be able to return to the rotation. That possibility seemed to be ruled out by the Red Sox manager on Saturday.
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