Daily Red Sox Links: Aaron Cook, Evan Longoria, Yoenis Cespedes

Aaron Cook's opt-out was set for May 1. He was eligible to invoke its awesome free-agent-granting powers should the Red Sox not have him on the major-league roster by the time the clock and calendar struck May 2. After that, the Red Sox would have a 48-hour window to respond to Cook's opt-out, either letting him walk, or finding a spot for him somewhere on the pitching staff.

As of late Tuesday night, there was no Aaron Cook news to report, other than that we would all have to wait until Wednesday at the earliest. Lars Anderson was sent down immediately following the completion of Tuesday's game, opening up a possible spot on the roster for Cook while also hinting that Kevin Youkilis would not need that disabled list stint after all, despite the presence of Jose Iglesias on the bench.

Boston will need to open more than a 25-man spot for Cook, though, as he's not on the 40-man roster. The most-likely candidate to be moved off of the 40-man is the recently-demoted Justin Thomas, who struggled in a way that his 7.71 ERA doesn't quite capture on its own.

We'll have more on this as details emerge from Boston, but with the Red Sox having two days to sort things out, and Cook having pitched three days ago for Pawtucket, there's not a huge rush, either.

Remember that rained out Red Sox/Yankees tilt from April 22, the day after Boston lost 15-9 following a bullpen implosion? While that day seems to have been therapeutic for all involved, the game that was supposed to happen that evening has been rescheduled as part of a July 7 double-header.

The American League East is tight, and that's one of many reasons why Red Sox fans are nervous after seeing Jacoby Ellsbury and Andrew Bailey go down with injuries. It's not just the Red Sox dealing with this, though: first the Yankees lost Michael Pineda for the season, and now the Tampa Bay Rays are going to be without their most productive player, Evan Longoria, for the next month or two, thanks to a torn hamstring.

That wasn't the only bad news for the Rays on Tuesday, as prospect and #1 overall pick from the 2008 draft, Tim Beckham, was suspended 50 games for a second violation of the league's drug policy. Specifically, for a "drug of abuses." On top of that, Kyle Farnsworth was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list, making him eligible to return June 5.

Wondering how Jake Peavy held the Red Sox to just one run last weekend, given his struggles since coming over to Chicago and the American League? R.J. Anderson looks at the evolution of Peavy's approach to racking up outs.

There's a lot of talk about Bryce Harper out there, but Jeff Sullivan wants to remind us that Yoenis Cespedes is just as fascinating for different reasons. Namely, the fact that Cespedes, as an import with zero minor-league experience, is someone we can watch learn in real-time.

Big fan of both guitars and Fenway Park? Get bidding on this Fenway Park Centennial Stratocaster, designed by Fender. There are just six of these guitars, and one is up for auction to benefit the Red Sox Foundation. I'm more of a Les Paul kind of guy, but it's a sharp-looking instrument nonetheless.

Former Red Sox pitcher Kyle Weiland underwent shoulder surgery to treat an infection in the area. Mark Melancon hasn't worked out just yet, but it's hard to say the Astros are pleased with their first few weeks of that deal in action, either. (Before you say, "But Jed Lowrie is hitting this much!" remember that the Astros have had to watch him play defense, too, and he's already been on the DL once in this young season.)

Registration is now open for this year's Saber Seminar. Don't know what that is?

Sabermetrics, Scouting, and the Science of Baseball, a weekend seminar for the benefit of the Jimmy Fund, puts you up close with some of baseball's top coaches, statisticians, scouts, doctors, and scientists. The seminar takes place on August 4 and 5, 2012 in Boston, MA, and is limited to 200 of baseball's best fans.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, bench coach Tim Bogar, Director of Professional Scouting Jared Porter, and Dan Brooks of Brooks Baseball will all be in attendance, along with more. Plus, you'd be helping to benefit the Jimmy Fund.