Andrew Bailey Expected to Miss First Half of the Season

An already questionable Boston Red Sox bullpen took a large hit yesterday as the club announced closer Andrew Bailey is set to undergo surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb.  The procedure is expected to sideline Bailey for four to five months and most are sure the right-hander will not be rejoining the Red Sox before the All-Star break.

Bailey sustained the injury roughly two weeks ago when he collided with Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Alex Presley.  Though the torn UCL in Bailey’s thumb can be traced back to this occurrence, he went on to make two more appearances for the Red Sox, the most recent taking place on March 25.

At this point the Red Sox have not named an interim closer.  The role figures to go to Mark Melancon, another offseason acquisitions, who closed for the Astros last season.

It remains to be determined how Bailey’s injury will impact Daniel Bard.  The Red Sox have already named Bard as a member of their Opening Day starting rotation.  However, with Bailey set to miss significant time, Boston could potentially slide Bard back to the bullpen and a late-inning role.

For more on the Red Sox, be sure to check out BoSox Injection.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.