The Red Sox are looking forward to Josh Beckett's return to the rotation later this week. (AP)

The Red Sox have been scrambling through a stretch in which just two of their five starters (Jon Lester and John Lackey) were in the rotation on Opening Day. Indeed, even pitchers who were acquired as mid-year rotation reinforcements — mostly notably, Erik Bedard — have been out of commission, contributing to a dreadful stretch in which the Sox have gone 3-10.

That being the case, the Red Sox are undeniably enthusiastic about the return of right-hander Josh Beckett to the rotation. Beckett (12-5, 2.49 ERA) heard a pop when he suffered a sprained right ankle on Sept. 5 against the Blue Jays. But while the right-hander did miss a scheduled start over the weekend, he is ready to re-enter the Sox’ rotation.

Beckett threw off a bullpen mound on Monday without incident, and followed that up with a flat ground session on Tuesday. He was scheduled to meet with Red Sox foot and ankle specialist Dr. George Theodore prior to Tuesday’s game. Based on that conversation and on the pitcher’s preference, a decision will be made as to whether he will return to the rotation on Thursday or Friday, when the Sox will be playing against a Tampa Bay Rays team that is now back within three games of the Sox in the wild card race.

“He feels really good,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “He said he could have pitched yesterday, which is good news. We’ve got to come up with a starter Thursday or Friday. I said, ‘Whatever is in your best interest. If you think the extra day helps you even more, we’ll push you back.’ That’s where we’re at.”

“Basically, he knows he’s going to pitch,” added Francona. “[The day will be] determined by, if he thinks that one more day really helps, we can do it.”

For obvious reasons, the Sox are encouraged by the prospect of having Beckett back in the rotation. The team’s starters have struggled to a 2-5 record and an MLB-worst 6.80 ERA in September.

“I think we knew he was headed in this direction, but it’s sure nice to hear it,” said Francona. “I mean, sometimes guys go out and throw and come back and say, ‘It’s just not right.’ He was pretty gung-ho that he was OK, so that’s good. And you get to know guys, too. When Josh isn’t right, he’ll let you know. So, when he says he’s good, that’s a good sign.”

The development is particularly significant given that Bedard’s status remains unresolved. The Sox were hopeful that the left-hander might be able to throw on Tuesday for the first time since he suffered a strained lat, but the team has already determined that Bedard (1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in six starts for the Sox) will not pitch this weekend. A double header against the Orioles on Monday would represent an ideal time for him to return, but the Sox don’t know yet whether that is a realistic target.

“We’re just going to have to see where it goes. We don’t know,” said Francona. “We know we have a doubleheader coming up next Monday and have to fill two spots. He may be a candidate. He may not.”

As for the Rays series, with Bedard out and Beckett slated to start in one of the first two games, the Sox still have yet to decide which pitcher will start the game that Beckett does not pitch. Kyle Weiland threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and could make the start on Thursday or Friday, while Francona also mentioned the possibility that Alfredo Aceves could make a start. With Bedard’s availability after the Rays series unclear, the Sox are still working to figure out their rotation beyond Wednesday’s contest against the Blue Jays.

“We honestly don’t know. We have enough bodies here where we have the ability to start, even if we wanted to say, start Aceves, and he went four or five, we can cover it because we have a lot of bodies here now,” said Francona, referring to the Sept. call-ups that have brought several potential long relievers such as Junichi Tazawa and Scott Atchison. “We’re still trying to figure out what to do going forward. Some of this is going to have to do with how Bedard’s doing. He’s certainly not going to throw Thursday or Friday, but some of this is going to fall into place. There’s not really a rush to have to make a decision right now.”