Daniel Bard To Skip Turn In Rotation, Be Available In Relief

Bobby Valentine has told Joe Amorosino of 7 News that, with tonight's game against the Yankees being rained out, Daniel Bard will skip his turn in the rotation and be available out of the bullpen prior to his next scheduled start.

The Red Sox' bullpen needs help, this we know, but what does this make Bard? A hybrid starter? If he's going to be in the rotation, then trotting him out from the bullpen over the next week can hardly help his transition.

With the bullpen in the state that it is, even with the hope of reinforcements from the minors, all Bard can hope to do is help for a couple of games. At best, it provides a short spell of relief for the pen--the equivalent to bandaging cuts on an arm that's hanging by a thread. At worst it has a negative effect on Bard as a starter.

The entire Bard situation needs to be laid to rest. Either he's a starter for this team, or a reliever. All this does is to add ambiguity, and the last thing a pitcher in his situation needs is to be jerked back-and-forth between the pen and the rotation.