BOSTON — Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett will take the mound tonight at Fenway Park, as controversy swirls around the struggling starter.
With Beckett (2-3, 4.45 ERA) en route back to Boston ahead of his scheduled start vs. Cleveland, manager Bobby Valentine was left in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday to address reports that Beckett played golf on an off day last week, a day after the team announced he’d be scratched from a start because of back tightness.
Additional Photos
“I haven’t talked to Josh about this yet, so I’m not sure I can really comment on it,” Valentine said. “He had a sore lat. He wasn’t an injured player. I know that. We’ll take it from there. But I’m sure that Josh wouldn’t do anything that’s going to jeopardize his team or his season. I know that.”
Beckett’s off-the-field decisions have come up before. After last season, it was discovered that he was among a group that ate fried chicken and drank beer in the clubhouse during games. It is common for players to golf during the season, but typically not when one is recovering from an injury.
Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz was his golfing partner. Buchholz declined to comment on the matter Wednesday before the Red Sox lost to the Royals, 4-3.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.