FORT MYERS, Fla. — Brian Shouse's first stint with the Red Sox back in 1998 lasted all of seven games before he disappeared back into the minor leagues for four years.
His latest go-around with the club did not make it to the end of March, and with his release on Friday the picture in the middle of the Boston bullpen gets a little bit clearer.
The move appeared imminent after the Sox signed fellow left-hander Alan Embree on Saturday, even though manager Terry Francona said that Embree's presence would not necessarily affect Shouse. Earlier in the week, Francona and pitching coach John Farrell called Shouse into a meeting and the veteran reliever expected the worst, but he was simply being kept in the loop as the competition became crowded.
However, once Embree proved to the team he was in good shape the wheels moved a bit faster. After a successful side session, Embree threw 11 of his 12 pitches for strikes in a perfect inning at the minor league complex the other day and is expected to get his Grapefruit League debut Saturday when the team travels to play Baltimore.
Provided he can get enough work in to break camp with the club, Embree will be vying for the sixth bullpen spot going north with Joe Nelson, Scott Atchison and possibly Boof Bonser. It is a group that included Shouse until Friday morning.
If Boston decides to keep 12 pitchers to start the regular season, then two members of that collection will be part of the Opening Day roster.
In making that decision, as evidenced by Shouse's release, the results in spring training mean little when compared to the makeup of the bullpen itself.
"He had a great spring, stats-wise," Francona said of Shouse, who was 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 10 Grapefruit League games.
Francona indicated that Shouse, who is largely a specialist used to get out lefties, did not quite fit the plan for the bullpen going forward. Nelson and Atchison have shown an ability to get some left-handers out with their breaking stuff, and Embree, while not a specialist by any means, has enjoyed more success against lefty bats in his career and can serve as an option in addition to Hideki Okajima.
Essentially, there was more need for guys who could do it all when called upon than a guy Francona would want to limit to situations when a lefty is at the plate.
In his career, Shouse has limited left-handers to a .213 average. Righties have hit .312 against him.
The club wanted to make the move with enough time remaining for Shouse to find new work. Despite his age, Shouse is a southpaw who can still get outs, a commodity on the market.
"He'll pitch in the major leagues this season," Francona said.
The Sox now have 37 players in camp, including 31 on the major league roster and six non-roster invitees.
