Beckett, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 16 with shoulder inflammation, tossed a bullpen session on Monday. By all accounts, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine believes the hurler could be activated as soon as Friday.
"He said his shoulder felt great," Valentine said. "So because we have him on the disabled list, we're not going to let the calendar dictate. We're going to make sure that he's really feeling good. So we’ll wait before we make that determination. We’ll see how he feels [on Tuesday]."
The Red Sox have the option to start Beckett against the Mariners on Thursday –– his normal spot in the rotation –– but Valentine hinted that he wouldn't go that route and would likely stick with Franklin Morales for the series opener.
"And that is only because of the [West Coast] trip out there," Valentine said. "Why have that as another compounding situation we have to deal with. Maybe the next day if everything is going well, but we’ll see."
Through 12 starts this season, Beckett boasts a 4-7 record and 4.14 ERA. The last time he faced the Mariners on May 15, the right-hander stymied the lineup, throwing seven scoreless innings and fanning nine batters.
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