Daisuke Matsuzaka will not pitch as scheduled on Tuesday after getting a cortisone injection. (AP)

Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka had a cortisone shot in his right trapezius muscle in his upper back, manager Bobby Valentine told reporters, and he will not make his scheduled start on May 22. That almost certainly means that he will be shut down for at least seven days, thus permitting the Red Sox to start a fresh 30-day rehab clock for him on a minor league rehab assignment. Matsuzaka’s initial rehab assignment was slated to end on Wednesday.

Matsuzaka appeared, for much of the spring, to be well ahead of schedule in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. He suffered no setbacks after undergoing the procedure in June 2011, to the point where the Sox thought he might be back in the majors in less than a year.

That is no longer the case. Hist stuff was inconsistent en route to a 4.62 ERA over five minor league rehab starts. Though he struck out 22 and walked six in 25 1/3 innings, he also got shelled for six homers.

The fact that Matsuzaka is not available to the Sox in the near term underscores the tenuous depth of the team’s rotation. Matsuzaka is injured. So is Aaron Cook, though the sinkerballer seems likely to commence a minor league rehab assignment soon. Beyond those two, the team’s rotation options (should either injury or poor performance necessitate another starter) include pitchers such as Ross Ohlendorf and Justin Germano, pitchers with big league experience but who have been showing less-than-dominating stuff against Triple-A hitters.

That reality looms over conversations about whether to move Daniel Bard or Clay Buchholz out of the rotation if either struggles. For now, especially until Cook can return, the Sox face a question of what alternatives they have.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 6-3 LOSS AT NORFOLK (ORIOLES)

(BOX)

– At the time that the Sox moved Alex Wilson into the bullpen, their major league bullpen was in a state of some crisis. Since then, however, the group has stabilized en route to the lowest bullpen ERA of any team in the majors in May. That being the case, the Sox have been able to proceed at a gradual pace with the right-hander, in deference to the absence of a pressing team need at the moment, the team’s depth (Mark Melancon, Clayton Mortensen and Junichi Tazawa have all been dominant this year, and all are on the 40-man roster) and the fact that Wilson himself has yet to perform at a level to force his way onto the big league roster. Read the rest of this entry »

Garin Cecchini delivered a walkoff double on Wednesday (Darrell Snow / Greenville Drive)

In all likelihood, Gavin Cecchini will not be a member of the Red Sox. The highly regarded shortstop is a near lock to be off the board by the time the Red Sox have a chance to make their first first-round selection at No. 24 overall.

Of course, the fact that the Red Sox have another Cecchini — third baseman Garin Cecchini — in their system required a special confluence of circumstances. Garin Cecchini entered 2010 as one of the most highly regarded amateur prospects around. On a Team USA squad in 2009 that featured Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, there was a case to be made that Cecchini outperformed both, going 8-for-24 while leading the team in OBP (.529) and slugging (.708).

But he blew out his ACL before his senior year, and so with medical questions surrounding a player who was content to go to college at LSU if his first-round price tag wasn’t met, he slipped in the draft. He was there for the taking in the fourth round, and the Sox were thrilled to get an extremely advanced high school hitter with a significant offensive ceiling.

Cecchini has been slowed by injuries — because of the ACL repair, he was unable to play in games after the Sox signed him for a $1.31 million bonus in 2010, and last year, after a strong showing at Lowell, his season ended after just a month when he suffered a hairline fracture after being drilled on the wrist by a fastball — but when on the field, he has looked like everything that the Sox thought they were getting.

On Wednesday, he delivered a two-run, walkoff double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 victory. It was Cecchini’s second hit of the game, giving him six multi-hit games in his last nine contests, a stretch in which he is hitting .385/.442/.641/1.083. For the year, Cecchini is now hitting .301/.367/.434/.800. Cecchini’s numbers against right-handers are particularly impressive this year, as he’s hitting .344/.402/.527/.929 against them, with 14 of his 15 extra-base hits coming against righties. In his last 27 games, Cecchini is hitting .349/.408/.495/.904, looking very much like the advanced player who was named the second best prospect in the New York-Penn League last summer.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 5-4 WIN AT DURHAM (RAYS)

(BOX)

– Kevin Youkilis, serving as the designated hitter in the first game of his rehab assignment, drew a six-pitch walk, fouled off a pair of 2-2 pitches before flying to deep right in his second plate appearance and then doubled off the glove of the Durham third baseman to finish his day 1-for-2 with a double and walk in his three plate appearances. Youkilis is slated to be back in the PawSox lineup while playing third base on Thursday, a game in which Daisuke Matsuzaka will be on the hill. Read the rest of this entry »

Daisuke Matsuzaka was subdued after 4 2/3 shutout innings in his latest rehab outing on Monday. (AP)

The reality is that Tommy John surgery, more often than not, does not feature a straight line rehab process.

Rich Hill represented the exception, experiencing no setbacks in the roughly 11 months since his surgery to the point where he’s already asserted himself as an important contributor in the Red Sox’ major league bullpen. But the path back is typically different — and more deliberate — particularly for starting pitchers.

And so, it should not come as a complete surprise that Daisuke Matsuzaka has not yet looked like a dominant pitcher in his rehab appearances. There have been interesting signs, such as the fact that he touched as high as 94 mph while pitching in extended spring training, and the fact that he punched out seven in a Double-A rehab start a little more than a week ago. But he remains a work in progress, and not a finished product.

On Monday in Pawtucket, he offered a reminder of that fact. He tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings, but it took the right-hander 87 pitches to get to that stage of the game. he was unable to finish the fifth inning, something that represented a bit of a disappointment.

“I had about four walks and a lot of two-ball, three-ball counts which knocked up my pitch count,” Matsuzaka told reporters (via a translator) in Pawtucket. “I really wanted to throw at least five innings, but it didn’t happen, so I’m not really happy about that.”

While Matsuzaka reported no problems in the neck issue that delayed his latest outing by a few days, he acknowledged that his rebuilt elbow varies on a day-to-day basis. That being the case, he did not exude certainty about whether he might be ready to return to the majors with another couple of starts.

“Overall, my body feels good, so that’s fine, but my elbow, depending on the day — some days it feels better than others. Right now, I’m hoping when I start, it hits the day I’m feeling good,” he told reporters. “Regarding being ready in two more games, it’s hard to say because it’s a step-by-step process, a game-by-game process. I’ll just go see how I pitch my next outing and see how that goes and see where I stand then.”

In many respects, in examining the histories of other Red Sox pitchers who underwent Tommy John, it is remarkable that Matsuzaka — less than a year removed from the repair of his ulnar collateral ligament last June — is in Triple-A. Junichi Tazawa had the procedure performed in April 2010 and did not start a rehab assignment for 13 months. Former Sox pitcher Nick Hagadone (who recorded his first career big league save on Monday) went under the knife in May 2008 and didn’t start pitching in minor league games until June 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

Jose Iglesias

On Thursday, Jose Iglesias tied a career high by reaching base four times in a game. On Friday, he did something without precedent in his previous 194 minor league games.

Iglesias went 2-for-4 with a double to center and a triple to right. It marked the first time that in his career that he has delivered multiple extra-base hits in a game. In his last three games, he is 6-for-11 with a pair of walks and the two extra-base hits. It does not mean that Iglesias is suddenly ready to blossom into an offensive star, but it is a reminder that he is capable of hot streaks in which his outstanding hand-eye coordination permit him to make consistent hard contact.

Overall, his approach shows notable progress this year, both with the fact that he’s driving the ball on a line and in the air and in the fact that he has walked 10 times and struck out just 16. The ratio of 1.6 strikeouts per walk is a drastic alteration from his prior two professional years, in which he strike out at twice that rate (3.2 strikeouts per walk).

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET: 5-2 WIN AT TOLEDO (TIGERS)

(BOX)

– After he went 0-for-17 in his first six games of the year, Alex Hassan has been among the best hitters in the International League. In his last 16 games, the 24-year-old is hitting .358 with a .469 OBP, .528 slugging mark and .997 OPS after going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a walk on Friday.

– Andrew Miller tossed a scoreless inning of relief, walking one and striking out one. Though his ERA stands at 5.73 in 10 appearances, opponents are hitting just .105 against the left-hander. His 30-day rehab clock runs out on May 6, and so the Red Sox must soon decide what to do with the lanky lefty.

– Right-hander Alex Wilson had his strongest relief appearance to date. In his fourth appearance since being shifted to relief, he made his first multi-innings appearance, tossing two shutout innings while punching out three. He walked two and allowed a single.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Middlebrooks (DVM Sports/Courtesy Portland Sea Dogs)

After a month in the spotlight in Triple-A Pawtucket, Will Middlebrooks may be ready for his closeup.

With third baseman Kevin Youkilis having been sidelined for the last three games by a stiff back, the Red Sox’ top prospect likely would have been in line for his call-up on Tuesday, but a minor thumb issue (he jammed the digit while swinging over the weekend) resulted in Middlebrooks sitting out of Monday’s game, and the Sox wanted to verify that he was fine before a possible promotion. That led to the decision to add Jose Iglesias to the big league roster on Tuesday to provide infield depth behind Mike Aviles and Nick Punto.

Middlebrooks returned to the Pawtucket lineup and went 0-for-4 on Tuesday, but was deemed healthy. And so, the 23-year-old is now available for a recall and could receive a summons to the majors as soon as Wednesday, pending a determination about the health of Youkilis, according to an industry source. Assuming that Youkilis remains sidelined, it appears likely that Middlebrooks — who is hitting .333 with a .380 OBP, .677 slugging mark and 1.057 OPS, along with nine homers in 24 games — will be in line for his first major league summons.

Middlebrooks told WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan Show on Tuesday morning that he’s ready if called upon.

“Personally, I’d love to say yeah, I am [ready],” Middlebrooks said. “I came in here with a sense of urgency. I wanted to come in and show everybody that I’m a good player, and that it wasn’t just a freak year last year.”

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 8-3 LOSS AT TOLEDO (TIGERS)

(BOX)

– While the opt-out clock for Aaron Cook has been a focal point, the rehab clock for left-hander Andrew Miller is also close to expiring. His 30-day rehab assignment concludes on May 6, at which point the Red Sox will have to make a decision about whether to call him up. He had one of the most dominant outings of his stint in Pawtucket on Tuesday, striking out five (while walking two) in two innings. He punched out all three left-handers whom he faced.

Miller remains as puzzling as ever. He has been overpowering when in the strike zone, striking out 22 in 10 innings while limiting opponents to a .113 average. However, he has walked 13.

The reality is that he is too talented for the Sox to give up on him. There is a chance that Miller could become a pitcher like Matt Thornton, a towering lefty with lightning stuff but drastic command issues. Thornton walked well over six batters per nine innings in the majors and minors between ages 26 and 28, but after an organizational change (a move from the Mariners to the White Sox) paired him with Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper, he emerged as a dominant left-handed power arm. Since 2006 (his age 29 season), Thornton has 10.0 strikeouts and 3.0 walks per nine innings.

Miller has the stuff to follow a similar transformation, but the reality is that Thornton represents an atypical case of a pitcher who was able to find his command after enduring severe challenges on that front early in his career. Still, the upside of Miller remains undeniable, and outings such as Wednesday’s reinforce that point, underscoring why you don’t walk away from a player of his ability. Read the rest of this entry »

Aaron Cook has a 1.89 ERA in five Triple-A starts. (AP)

It is, Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure told reporters, a good problem to have. Both Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard have looked very promising in the rotation, and so there is certainly no rush to replace either. Meanwhile, Aaron Cook has been terrific in his minor league stint with Triple-A Pawtucket. After allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, he has a 1.89 ERA in his five starts for the PawSox.

Cook looks like someone who can help a big league rotation right now. But it remains to be seen how he could squeeze into the Red Sox rotation, barring a move of Doubront or Bard to the bullpen. And now, Cook has a May 1 opt-out of the minor league contract he signed this winter (with a $1.5 million big league salary) that looms should the Sox not call him up by Tuesday.

McClure told reporters that Cook’s shoulder has been healthy enough that a bullpen role might be a possibility, but as of yet, there have been no substantive conversations between the pitcher and club about pitching in relief. Indeed, given his past shoulder woes, while the Sox will discuss the possibility of adding Cook to the ‘pen (a pitcher with excellent groundball rates could be an interesting asset in situations with runners on base), the team might be disinclined to do so out of concern for the right-hander’s health.

One consideration worth noting: The Red Sox do have a stretch of 20 games in 20 days that starts on May 4. If there was a time to go to a six-man rotation while keeping the pitching staff on a fairly normal schedule (five days’ rest between starts, with an extra day of rest that could be beneficial as the Sox look to regulate the innings of Bard and Felix Doubront), this would be it.

A decision is looming on the right-hander. While the outcome is unknown, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the only way in which the Sox can add Cook to their major league staff would involve some creativity, either with the structure of the pitching staff or with Cook’s role.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 6-4 LOSS AT COLUMBUS (INDIANS)

(BOX)

– In his last minor league outing prior to his May 1 opt-out date, right-hander Aaron Cook allowed five hits (four singles and a double) and three runs in 6 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out a season-high five. Uncharacteristically, the sinkerballer had just five groundball outs.

In five starts in Triple-A, Cook is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA while allowing one homer and holding batters to a .217 average in 33 1/3 innings. He has struck out 13 and walked 11, but more significant than his strikeout numbers is the fact that, Saturday’s outing aside, he recorded groundball outs in volume and showed both solid velocity (up to 92 mph) and excellent movement on his sinker during his minor league assignment that suggested that his shoulder is healthy.

– Left-hander Andrew Miller recorded a pair of strikeouts while allowing a groundball single to left-hander Lonnie Chisenhall. It marked just the second time in 14 plate appearances that a left-handed hitter made contact against Miller in his Triple-A assignment.

– Right-hander Alex Wilson made his second relief appearance, entering in the middle of the eighth inning (the Sox seemingly wanted him to enter with a runner or runners on base for the first time, but a homer led to a bases-empty situation) and recording two quick groundball outs.

DOUBLE-A PORTLAND SEA DOGS: 9-1 WIN VS. READING (PHILLIES)

(BOX)

– Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka had seven strikeouts (all of the swinging variety) while permitting three hits (a triple and two singles), walking two and allowing one run in a rehab start for Double-A Portland. It was the right-hander’s second rehab outing in his return from Tommy John surgery. The Portland Press-Herald reported that his fastball registered as high as 93 mph. Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that the right-hander could be moving up to Pawtucket next.

– Bryce Brentz recorded his first steal of the year on a day when he went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. Though hardly a base-stealing threat (he swiped three bags last year), Brentz did work during the offseason to improve his speed so that he could be a better baserunner.

HIGH-A SALEM RED SOX: 3-2 WIN VS. CAROLINA (INDIANS)

(BOX)

– Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1-for-3 with a double and was hit by a pitch, giving him six straight games of reaching base at least twice. His .473 OBP now leads the Carolina League. Bradley also stole a base, his sixth of the year.

– Right-hander Ryan Pressly allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in six innings while striking out six. Though he has struggled to an 8.87 ERA while repeating at Salem (where he went 6-11 with a 4.50 ERA last year), the right-hander’s stuff is more impressive than his numbers might suggest. Aaron McFarling of the Roanoke Times noted two intriguing aspects of Pressly’s outing on Saturday: First, his last pitch of the night was clocked as a 97 mph fastball. Secondly, he was wearing someone else’s pants.

SINGLE-A GREENVILLE DRIVE: 6-5, 12-INNING LOSS AT LAKEWOOD (PHILLIES)

(BOX)

– Keury De La Cruz came up a double shy of the cycle, delivering a single, homer and triple while driving in three. On the year, he is now hitting .301 with a .370 OBP and .521 slugging mark, and his seven walks in 81 plate appearances suggest strides in his plate discipline (he had just 10 walks last year in Lowell in 312 plate appearances). The 20-year-old has shown above-average power for his age, and if he can combine that with strides in his approach, his ensemble of tools makes him an intriguing (albeit little-heralded) prospect. He leads Greenville in average and OPS while ranking second in slugging and extra-base hits (8).

– Right-hander Jason Garcia, in his first start of the year, punched out seven in four innings while allowing one run on one hit. In 17 1/3 innings this year, the 19-year-old has 22 strikeouts.

Andrew Miller had mixed results in his most recent outing for the PawSox. (AP)

The good news for Andrew Miller was that he tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out three. He came into a game in the middle of an inning (the fifth, to be exact), and after walking the first batter he faced, he settled to strike out the next hitter. He then got through a scoreless sixth before returning to the mound for the seventh, when he gave up a leadoff double, with the runner stranded by reliever Will Inman.

But … Miller walked four and allowed that double, and he required 50 pitches to record his four outs. Just 20 of those pitches were strikes. To put that in context, since 2000, there have been just 10 instances of a major league pitcher throwing 50 or more pitches while throwing strikes at a rate of 40 percent or less.

Miller has made four rehab appearances in Pawtucket (4 1/3 innings, four runs, nine strikeouts, nine walks) and two more in Greenville (two shutout innings, three strikeouts, no walks). Sox manager Bobby Valentine said on Wednesday that the team wanted to see Miller have “at least one other good performance in Triple-A,” hoping that he would build on an appearance on Monday in which he struck out the side, before getting activated from the disabled list. Whether Thursday qualified is in the eye of the beholder, though with a Yankees lineup that features Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, the Sox could certainly benefit from having a wealth of left-handed options.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 11-7 WIN AT SYRACUSE (NATIONALS)

(BOX)

– Alex Wilson was roughed up for six runs on eight hits and two walks in just 3 2/3 innings while allowing his first homer of the season. He struck out six.

In three starts, Wilson now has 16 strikeouts and four walks in 13 2/3 innings. Interestingly, he has an 11/0 strikeout/walk ratio against righties as compared to a 5/4 rate against lefties, with righties hitting .226 against him and lefties at .480.

– Will Middlebrooks continued his torrid stretch, going 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI. In his last six games, he is now hitting .423 with four homers and 13 RBI. Read the rest of this entry »