That’s the question the Red Sox must answer in the wake of their decision to send the righty down to Triple-A Pawtucket in the hopes of fixing his mechanics and returning to the basics of what made him so successful as a receiver.
That’s the biggest issue, of course — how successful he was as a reliever.
Bard was usually lights-out as the Red Sox setup man over the last handful of seasons, but his transition to the starting role has been bumpy to say the least. After a dreadful performance on Sunday against the Blue Jays, Bard may have hit rock bottom as a starter. The team could decide to pull the plug now and shift Bard back to the bullpen.
Bobby Valentine has indicated that Bard is going to Pawtucket as a starter — and to remain a starter — but didn’t seem very convinced. With Daisuke Matsuzaka nearing readiness to a return to the majors, Bard may get squeezed out of the rotation for a short time — or for much longer.
It’s entirely possible that the Red Sox may want to let Bard work out his kinks and return to the rotation. It’s also possible that they could send him back to the bullpen, where he might be more comfortable. Yet another option would be to allow Bard to finish this season in the bullpen, and then try him out as a starter again in 2013.
When do you expect to see Bard getting another start?
