Josh Beckett will miss his Friday start with back spasms, according to multiple Tweets from Boston beat writers.
Beckett isn't expected to miss a lot of time with the back injury.
The rotation will stick to the schedule after Tim Wakefield makes the start on Wednesday.
The back issues may be why Beckett has been struggling all season long. His velocity on his fastball is down and, overall, his numbers have been sub-par. Maybe a week of rest will do him good.
On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be a bigger deal than what Terry Francona is making it. There's a history of saying, "Oh, he'll be fine," and it turns into something bigger. That may be the case here, but for the sake of the Red Sox, let's hope it's nothing, he gets better and returns to the old Josh Beckett.