Conor Jackson's father, John, played Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden on the television series "JAG."

That's not why the Red Sox acquired Jackson.

The outfielder/first baseman is very familiar with Sox players Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford, and Kevin Youkilis, having worked out with all three at Athletes Performance. He also played with Pedroia with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

That is also not the reason he finds himself in Boston.

Jackson followed in his father's footsteps in 2009, playing a physical therapist on the soap opera "General Hospital."

Again, the not the reason he is a Red Sox.

So why did the Sox trade for Jackson and cash considerations in exchange for minor league pitcher Jason Rice just before August turned into September? In the eyes of his new team, he might be able to help fill a gap that was of some concern heading into postseason play. And, with the deadline to add players who are eligible for playoff consideration hitting Wednesday at midnight, the time to make such a move was now or never.

The 29-year-old Jackson is a right-handed hitter who has played both corner outfield spots this season, along with first and third base. He is hitting .249 with a .658 OPS, having played in 102 games with the A's before being dealt to the Sox.

Against left-handed pitching, Jackson is hitting .254 with a .685 OPS. He also finds himself mired in a horrific slump, having gone hitless in his last 21 at-bats dating back to August 13.

What the Red Sox are hoping for from Jackson -- who is playing under a one-year, $3.25 million contract and is eligible for free agency after this season (he does not figure to be a Type A or B free agent) -- is to rediscover a semblance of the player who showed so much promise while serving as the Diamondbacks everyday first baseman from 2006-08. During that stretch he hit .292 with 42 home runs, an on-base percentage of .371 and an OPS of .822.

If not, well, there is the scenario that got the Red Sox to this point.

Here is a look at how the Sox have found themselves after locking into their postseason roster options:

WHAT THEY CAN DO FROM HERE

Any player the Red Sox acquire from here on in would not be eligible for postseason consideration, but that doesn't mean there couldn't potentially be some new faces playing in the playoffs.

The Sox head into September with six players on the disabled list -- Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew, Bobby Jenks, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill. All would be eligible for postseason play, as would all the players on the 25-man roster.

Where the roster flexibility comes in is in regards to players who are not able to still physically perform by season's end, as will be the case with Matsuzaka and Hill. Those spots can be used by any player already in the organization prior to Sept. 1 for playoff eligibility. (It is at the discretion of Major League Baseball to determine if a player is fit to play.)

So, for example, while Felix Doubront didn't enter the final month on big league club, he could still find himself as a postseason contributor, as is also the case with Jackson.

WHO WILL BE PLAYING RIGHT FIELD

Defensively, Jackson would be the least suited to man right field at Fenway Park of the available options -- Darnell McDonald, J.D. Drew and Josh Reddick. But it would seem like, if he was the best offensive piece of the puzzle at the time, the former first-round pick could get by. He did, after all, play right field at Fenway when the A's played at Fenway on June 5 without incident.

It is certainly no lock that Jackson will finish the regular season as the best right-handed hitting right field candidate. As Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein pointed out prior to his team's 9-5 win over the Yankees Wednesday night, McDonald has shown signs of life of late, having totaled a .296 batting average and .792 OPS in his last 27 at-bats.

More importantly, since July 1 McDonald's average against left-handed pitching is .286 with a .998 OPS. During those 23 games in which the outfielder has faced southpaws the Sox are 16-7.

At this point, there doesn't figure to be a right field option who could step up and be an everyday player come postseason time. Drew -- whose return was temporarily derailed due to a sprained right middle finger -- could very well find himself starting against right-handers in the playoffs, especially considering Reddick's struggles of late. (The rookie did come away with a key double Wednesday night, boosting his average to .148 over his last 23 games.) But considering Drew and Reddick are a combined 18-for-78 against lefties this season, it doesn't figure that Red Sox manager Terry Francona will change course at this stage in the game.

WHAT THE BULLPEN MIGHT LOOK LIKE

The Red Sox weren't able to add any more pieces to their relieving corps other than veteran lefty Trever Miller, who was signed to a minor-league deal after being released by the Blue Jays. 

Miller could possibly factor into the postseason equation, with the Red Sox still looking for a lock-down lefty specialist, although Franklin Morales (he of the 97 mph fastball, but up-and-down command) would seem to have the inside track.

When facing left-handed hitters, Jonathan Papelbon (.175 batting average against), Alfredo Aceves (.189) and Daniel Bard (.198) have had the most success, with Morales limiting opponents to a .245 average, striking out 13 and walking three. Another positive in Morales' favor is that in the last two months he has allowed just four extra-base hits to lefties, while walking only a pair in 45 chances.

There is also the scenario where Andrew Miller continues his positive track as a reliever as the opportunities in the rotation are tightened. In his last outing, against Texas, the lefty limited left-handed hitters to no hits in five at-bats, striking out three of them. He has, in fact, shown an ability to get the punch-out against lefty hitters throughout this season striking out 17 of the 61 left-handers faced.

One name to keep in an eye on in September as the postseason decisions start looking large is Doubront. The Sox recently moved the southpaw to the bullpen after starting for most of the season, pitching two scoreless innings of relief in his first chance out of the bullpen August 25.

COULD JOEY GATHRIGHT PLAY A ROLE IN THE POSTSEASON

The 30-year-old outfielder, who was signed from the independent league Yuma Scorpions, could help in pinch-running opportunities in the final month. 

“[Assistant to the GM Allard Baird] worked [Gathright] out. Gives us a speed option that we don’t necessarily have right in Triple-A," Epstein said. "Never know when you might need that kind of alternative on the bench.”

But the reality is that there will be more viable pinch-running options whom are already on the roster in the form of McDonald and Mike Aviles. (It should be noted, Aviles would probably be Francona's first pinch-running option, with the utilityman having swiped 14 bags this season in 16 attempts.)

Gathright, who last played in the big leagues when he was with the Red Sox in '09, was just 4-for-8 in steals in his most recent year in the majors. He was, however, 20-for-23 in stolen base attempts with Yuma this season.