Beckett's recovery is great news for the reeling Red Sox, who currently have nine players on the disabled list.
That fact is finally starting to impact the win-loss record for the club, which lost three straight games heading into Wednesday night's finale with the Rays. Tuesday night's loss was almost a direct result of Kevin Youkilis' exit from the game in the fourth inning, as David Ortiz was subsequently walked intentionally in his next three plate appearances. Fortunately for the Red Sox, the potential All-Star did not suffer a serious injury and was back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Not so fortunately for the Red Sox, the absences of Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez, among many others, are starting to stymie the offense. The Sox scored just eight runs in those three losses, two of which were decided by a single run.
That's not to say the pitching is much healthier. Manny Delcarmen and Clay Buchholz are the newest members of the staff to join the DL, though neither requires surgery and both aren't expected to miss major time.
Rounding out the list are Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeremy Hermida, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek.
With the All-Star break on the horizon, and with Ellsbury checking in with the team this weekend in Toronto, the Red Sox can only hope to pick up a couple of wins this week and, more importantly, avoid any further damage.
