CHICAGO -- Daniel Bard will not be in the bullpen Friday. There is, in fact, no way to tell if the righty will ever rejoin the crew of Red Sox relievers.

So here’s the issue …

Bard, who makes his third start of the season Friday night against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, has shown enough to suggest he is what the Sox hoped he would be -- a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. But this isn’t about Bard holding up his end of the bargain. Bard’s existence will be determined by the group he was once a part of.

It comes down to this one question: Can the Red Sox bullpen, as currently constituted, be good enough?

“We have good arms in the 'pen,” Bard said prior to the Red Sox' 10-3 win over the White Sox Thursday night. “We’re not going to have an 8 ERA the whole year. It’s not going to happen. There are too many good arms. Me going down there isn’t going to change the world.”

While Bard’s presence in the bullpen would unquestionably alter the dynamic in the bullpen at least somewhat, there have been signs of late that suggest he might be on to something when believing the Red Sox relievers can get by.

Since the horrific performance against the Yankees last Saturday, the Red Sox relievers have allowed just one run over 11 2/3 innings, striking out 10 and walking two.

And a big chunk of that success came courtesy of one of the newest members of the bullpen, Junichi Tazawa, who picked up a three-inning save in which he didn’t allow a run. It was another dose of optimism for a group that had to bask in two weeks of negativity to start the season.

“We’re coming together,” said setup man Franklin Morales. “We feel good about ourselves right now.”

There isn’t going to be complete and utter confidence in a Bard-less bullpen until the streak of consistency is extended. The Red Sox relievers, after all, still carry the worst ERA in baseball (6.79).

But the sink of Matt Albers’ fastballs, Vicente Padilla’s guile, Scott Atchison’s command and Franklin Morales’ pure stuff from the left side (along with the promise of Tazawa) suggest there is hope.

But, without Bard, what this might come down to is whether or not Alfredo Aceves can be a flat-out relief-pitching star.

Aceves’ life as a closer is a work in progress. He knows that. The Red Sox know that. It’s encouraging that his fastball velocity is averaging 2 mph more than a year ago, but there is so much more to consider.

“I think [bullpen coach Gary] Tuck has tried to help him a little bit,” Bard said. “Tuck has guided some really good closers in Mariano [Rivera] and [Jonathan Papelbon]. It’s not something you can explain to somebody how to do. It’s 90 percent experience. I think Alfredo is realizing that. You could tell that first outing he had, that there was an emphasis on every pitch and every pitch can change the game. 

“I learned that pitching in the eighth inning. You don’t make mistakes to good hitters late in the game. He went in with an aggressive mentality, went right after [Miguel] Cabrera and he’s such a good hitter. Not that you can’t throw him fastballs in, but you have to set it up or you have to be off the plate or in and up. Just learn those things and learn to be very careful with every pitch.”

Randy Niemann, who has been serving as one of the bullpen coaches, has had a front row seat to the evolution of Aceves as a closer.

“The biggest thing is to learn you have to go out and pitch the way you pitch and not try and be somebody else, or do something different. That’s the biggest key,” Niemann said. “Closers, the good ones, realize that their stuff is their stuff. They go out and pitch the way they would if it was the second or the ninth inning. Guys who are new to the role sometimes try to assume an identity of another closer, try and do too much, or try and throw too much. They get outside of themselves. They learn that it’s a matter of going out and making good pitches and getting guys out.

“[Aceves] is figuring himself out. That first time he tried closing out a game he wasn’t himself. I said, ‘Listen, you’re a good pitcher. You go out there and remember to pitch. Be a pitcher, don’t be a thrower.’ He’s got the velocity, but that’s not being a pitcher. He can use that fastball, but he can also use all his pitches.”

And then there is taking advantage of a whole new situation when it comes to the types of hitters a closer is forced to face.

“Any time you’re pitching late in the game, I think the later you get the more swings out of the zone you can get. You have to use that to your advantage,” Bard explained. “Guys want to be the hero, especially in a one-run game. They want to tie it up with one swing. Even guys who aren’t home run hitters you still get some of those swings. It’s just human nature and you have to take advantage of that.”

Now it’s up to Aceves, and his bullpen partners, to figure all of it out. Because if they do, Bard can continue his path toward life as a full-time starter and confidence in late-inning leads among New England baseball fans will make a welcome return.

“I’m going to prepare like I am [a starter] until I’m told otherwise,” Bard said.