WASHINGTON — As planned, the Boston Red Sox will have a new closer to open the season. It just won’t be Andrew Bailey.

The Red Sox announced Tuesday that Bailey will have surgery on his right thumb, likely ruling him out for most of the season.

“I don’t think it will be before the All-Star break – is what the trainer told me,” Manager Bobby Valentine said when asked for a timetable for Bailey’s return.

Both Bailey and ace Josh Beckett were in Cleveland to see Dr. Thomas Graham for second opinions on their thumb injuries. Beckett was deemed OK and remains scheduled to start Saturday at Detroit in Boston’s second game of the season, but Bailey was diagnosed as needing an operation to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament.

The surgery will be performed today.

“That’s a tough break. He was sitting right next to me in spring this year, and the whole spring he was saying ‘I feel really good, really good,’ and then something like that happens,” said Clay Buchholz, who started Tuesday’s 8-7 win over the Washington Nationals in Boston’s final spring training game. “I think everybody in there feels for him. He’s going to play a big role on our team as soon as he’s back, but it’s tough. There’s going to have to be a couple of guys on this team step up and fill some shoes, and it’s going to be big shoes to fill.”

The injury left Valentine scrambling for a Plan B to close out games. Candidates include Alfredo Aceves and Mark Melancon, but the manager said he wanted to keep his decision a secret heading into the three-game series against the Tigers. Aceves pitched a scoreless eighth against the Nationals on Tuesday and picked up the win.

“The guys that you’ve seen in the bullpen are going to hold down the fort, and do a job to help us win a lot of games,” Valentine said. “I think you saw Aceves there at the end; you’ll see him at the end of games. Melancon will be there at the end of games, for sure. … Detroit will find out hopefully on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.”

Valentine isn’t sure how Bailey was injured. Valentine initially said it began bothering Bailey during a game against Pittsburgh on March 21, but Valentine wasn’t aware of it until Friday. Bailey traveled to Boston on Monday to have it checked out by Drs. Mark Belsky and Matthew Leibman before going to Cleveland.

Bailey was acquired in a December trade with Oakland to replace Jonathan Papelbon, who left in the offseason to sign a $50 million, four-year contract with Philadelphia. Bailey was also sidelined at the start of spring training when he strained a lat during the vertical leap portion of his entrance physical, but returned to pitch six innings in six Grapefruit League games, with an 0-1 record and a 4.50 ERA.

Melancon pitched in nine games this spring, posting an 0-1 record with a 5.59 ERA. He had 20 saves last season with Houston.

Aceves appeared in six Grapefruit League games, going 1-1 with three saves and a 5.21 ERA. He has four career saves over four major league seasons.

 

JACOBY ELLSBURY and Dustin Pedroia combined for four hits, four RBI and four runs in the win at Washington.

Boston took an 8-7 lead in the ninth on Jason Repko’s RBI double off reliever Henry Rodriguez, who hadn’t allowed a run in his previous 11 innings this spring.

Repko, the center fielder, threw out Ian Desmond at the plate for the game’s final out.

 

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