For now, Tim Wakefield's future with the Red Sox is in relative limbo. But in an effort to alleviate the lingering pain in his lower back, the knuckleballer will get a cortisone shot on Thursday in the hopes that he will soon be able to make another start for the team.
According to Boston.com, manager Terry Francona met with team doctor Thomas Gill on Tuesday to form a plan for Wakefield going forward. Right now, there is little to report except that he will receive a shot and hope it helps.
Wakefield took the mound against Chicago on Sept. 5 and likely will not pitch on regular rest for the remainder of the season.
"I think the plan is for Wake to get his shot tomorrow," Francona told the Web site. "Probably gets his activity limited for a couple of days, and then do as much throwing and side work — again, trying to balance that to where he can pitch effectively and not throw his physical part of it backwards. But the plan is tomorrow for him to get another shot."
The 43-year-old received cortisone shots on July 24 and on Aug. 31, but according to Francona, the shots will not become a regular part of his routine.
"He's certainly not going to get one every three or four days," Francona said. "This isn't a wrist or like an ankle where you're injecting a tendon, which is dangerous."
Wakefield is penciled in to start on Sept. 19, but right now, there are no guarantees.
"I guess that's a possibility, sure," Francona said. "If he can't do it or if he's throwing and it seems to go backwards, yeah, we wouldn't pitch him. This is just a target, and we can always change that if we're supposed to or we need to."
