BOSTON -- General manager Ben Cherington provided some medical updates Wednesday on the Red Sox' injured players:
JOSH BECKETT (sore lat muscle, will miss Saturday's start)
"We're optimistic that he'll be skipped once and be back in there the next time around. Just wanted to get ahead of it. At a different point in the season he might have pitched with it. But just trying to be smart.
"He came in the next day (after his 126-pitch outing Sunday in Chicago) and was a little more sore than normal. And he wasn't that concerned about it. But the more we talked and factoring in Aaron Cook who could have opted out of his contract had he not been called up by May 1, we just felt, 'Let's get ahead of this and do the right thing.' We expect Beckett will come back the next time around and be able to pitch.
"We'd like to avoid putting him on disabled list. We'll see. I mean, we're going to avoid that for now."
ANDREW BAILEY (on the 60-day disabled list after undergoing surgery for an injured thumb late in spring training)
"Bailey's down there in extended spring training. He's still in range of motion and strengthening. It's going along well. Hasn't started throwing yet."
JOHN LACKEY (on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery)
"Lackey has been throwing for a while."
RYAN KALISH (on the 60-day disabled list after a series of problems last year)
"Kalish is hitting on a field, throwing out to 120 (feet) so he's coming along well. No decision on when he'll be ready . . . but he's coming along and he's hitting on a field. So we'll let him do that for a little while and get him some live BP and then get him into game action down there."
CARL CRAWFORD (on the 15-day disabled list because of wrist and elbow concerns)
"He's not throwing yet. He has not started swinging yet. So he's going to get checked again in a few days from now. We're just trying to keep his legs going as best we can. The hope is that he'll pass the next exam and start swinging at that point and that it maybe a little bit longer before he starts throwing.
Boston Red Sox
JACOBY ELLSBURY (on the 15-day disabled list because of a shoulder injury)
"Ellsbury's making progress. He's got a lot more range of motion and the soreness is going away. He's just got to get a full range of motion . . . He's coming along. He's feeling better."