Andrew Bailey News

As Paul Prims wrote here , the Sox bullpen is in a state of flux, filled with injury, inexperience and inconsistency.

The Red Sox have lost closer Joel Hanrahan to season ending surgery , meaning that for the second straight season, the Red Sox have traded for a closer during the off-season and got a player who was ineffective when he has pitched and missed the majority of the season.

Your fantasy team might be limping into mid-May, but there is help on the way. Some of the biggest early disabled list players are candidates to return this week.

Papelbon has been, well, Papelbon since he left Boston. He has appeared in 83 games and has a 2.28 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 83 innings.

A visit to orthopedic surgeon James Andrews confirmed for Hanrahan that the flexor tendon in his right forearm has torn off the bone and will require season-ending surgery.

In an at-bat that was every bit as impressive as any taken by a Red Sox player this season, Pedroia fouled off six pitches from Minnesota Twins reliever Casey Fien , including three in a row after working the count full.

Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey has been sent to the 15-day disabled list after being diagnosed with right biceps inflammation.

The Red Sox remarkably managed to fight through injuries to have an excellent April, going 18-8. To start the month of May, the Red Sox have looked healthier as they have David Ortiz and Stephen Drew back in the lineup.

Having reliable pitchers to insert into the eighth and ninth innings of a close game is essential for Major League Baseball teams that have World Series hopes.

UPDATE : Farrell confirmed Bailey will indeed remain the closer. Hanrahan will move into a setup role for the time being.

The Boston Red Sox have started the season off with their best record, 17-8, since 2004 and have shown no signs of slowing down.

Victorino hasn't played since leaving last Wednesday's game with recurring tightness in his lower back, but before the Red Sox left yesterday for a six-game road trip that starts tonight in Toronto, manager John Farrell said the right fielder is "gradually improving" and the team is hopeful he will play "at some point in the series." If the Sox ... (more)

2. San Francisco Giants - Barry Zito has been nearly unhittable at home, giving the back-end of the rotation a big boost.

Will Middlebrooks can't lie. There have been days over the past few weeks when the worst slump of the Red Sox third baseman's life has been something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That's what the Oakland Athletics found out this week during their visit up the East Coast - a road trip that resulted in five losses in six games at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox .

No, the Red Sox did not re-acquire Jonathan Papelbon, their all-time leader in saves.

Imagine having a rough week at work, catching the flu, calling in sick for three days, and then returning to discover you've been demoted.

Given his familiar surname and uniform number, Stephen Drew always knew that Red Sox fans may not be so eager to warm to him.

The Red Sox on Wednesday made it official, promoting reliever Daniel Bard from Double-A Portland.

Prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics , Red Sox manager John Farrell dropped some information on a few injured pitchers, all working their way back to the majors on rehab assignments.