Wednesday afternoon, Jacoby Ellsbury took another step toward returning to the Red Sox lineup. He ran. He swung a bat. He leaped to and fro all around the Fenway Park outfield.

All the while, Scott Boras sat back in his Southern California office, having little to do with the day's events.

For some, that in itself is hard to believe. But, believe it or not, Jacoby Ellsbury's agent is not pulling the strings when it comes to the outfielder's return from his cracked ribs.

"I don't make medical conclusions," Boras said by phone from Newport Beach. "Our job is to get him with the right doctor, and certainly talk to the team."

Through all the ups and downs that Ellsbury has experienced since first injuring his ribs April 11 in Kansas City, one of the theories that has surfaced has been that of Boras orchestrating the outfielder's return to the Red Sox' lineup. 

Some believed Boras might be encouraging Ellsbury to wait until he was fully healthy as to not sacrifice potential offensive output. Others suggested the agent's motivations were leading his client to get back sooner than he should in order to continue pushing Ellsbury's value along the fast track toward stardom.

But, by all accounts (including Boras'), the reality of Ellsbury's current state is something that has little to do with the agent's influence.

"I called Jacoby and told him he needed to get an MRI, so, with the full cooperation of the team, they went and got the MRI," explained Boras. "Theo and I have been in communication throughout. The dialogue has been good. There's certainly been no problem from my perspective of how this has unfolded. Jacoby, like any other athlete, wanted to get out on the field as soon as he could."

It isn't as though Boras doesn't have any value to his clients in situations such as the one Ellsbury finds himself in. The agent has five clients on the Red Sox roster, and the consensus opinion among them is that Boras isn't directing their return from injury, but simply offering the players guidance.

"The resources are there, and that's what Scott is really, really good at," said Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew. "He's been around the game long enough where he's seen everybody and every different kind of injury. He's never told me not to listen to the team doctor, or not listen to the way your body feels.

"I think as a player, you sign a contract with a team and you're kind of committed to the team's doctor and training staff. Now, is there an opportunity if you have questions and something doesn't seem right, then you can say, 'Scott, I've got a question.' That's where he comes in. He has resources and there are some really good doctors around the country he has access to. But he's not saying, 'You have to go see this guy.' You're the ultimate decision-maker."

Jason Varitek has found himself in numerous situations where injuries could have affected his future earning potential, yet the catcher kept playing through the ailments (see the 2009 season). 

During each bout with injury, however, Varitek said the decision whether or whether not to suit up never has been guided by Boras.

"He’s never once told me when or when not to take the field. It’s my decision," Varitek said. "I can only speak for myself. I wouldn’t expect otherwise. He does nothing but support me as a player and always tries to do what’s right and what’s best for me, whatever that is. But that decision is mine. He’s got nothing to do with that. ‘Make sure you get seen, if you have any questions, any type of second opinions or anything,’ absolutely. But that is my decision."

Even when it comes to the decision regarding Ellsbury's switch back to center field, Boras insists that it's all about what the player wants. ("Jacoby is a base stealer. He's a big offensive part of the Red Sox and it takes a very special athlete to steal 60 or 70 bases, score 100 runs, and take that banging that comes with playing center field," the agent said. "Jacoby has proven he's up to the task.")

What Boras emphasizes, however, is the value he can bring thanks to the some of the physical predicaments that have cropped up with a variety of clients. An example he brings up is that of Carlos Beltran's 2005 collision with current Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron, and the road back his client (Beltran) had to be helped along.

And then there is Ellsbury's April 11 run-in with Adrian Beltre in Kansas City.

"These guys are elite athletes. When you're running into an athlete like Adrian Beltre, you're running into a brick wall," Boras said. "When you hear certain things from athletes you realize the severity of it. When you've done it for 35 years you have an understanding of it."

That's what Ellsbury, and others, have come to count on.