Boston Red Sox Rumors & News

Boston Globe "The Red Sox have signed lefthander reliever Rafael Perez to a minor league deal, pending a physical, a team source has confirmed. Perez, who was spotted at Fenway Park this afternoon, was non-tendered by the Indians in November after being limited to eight appearances in 2012 because of a..." May 24

Philly.com "Shane Victorino can't wait to get back to Philadelphia. It has been nearly 10 months since the Phillies dealt the popular outfielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a journey that continued on to Boston when he signed 3-year, $39 million contract in the offseason. Victorino returns to Citizens..." May 24

Boston Globe "The Red Sox placed third baseman Will Middlebrooks and outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day disabled list, the team announced Friday. Infielder Jose Iglesias and pitcher Alfredo Aceves were called up from Triple A Pawtucket, and Iglesias will start tonight's game vs. the Indians at third..." May 24

Boston Globe "It was a play ripped out of the post-breakup handbook. After a bitter ending with the Red Sox two years ago, Terry Francona was eventually able to find something new and at present something hotter. That something was the Cleveland Indians. Returning to Fenway Park as a manager for the..." May 24

Boston Herald "By the time Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate in the sixth inning Tuesday night, his slump had deepened to 8-for-62, causing Red Sox manager John Farrell to admit to thinking about removing him from the leadoff spot. But to hear Ellsbury tell it, his approach at the plate had been..." May 23

Boston Globe "Terry Francona hasn't managed against the Red Sox at Fenway Park since July 17, 1999, when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. He returns to the third base dugout Thursday when the Indians arrive in Boston for a four-game series. "I think it will be a special day when the series kicks off..." May 23

Boston Globe "David Ross caught five innings and was 1 for 3 with an RBI double for Double A Portland Thursday in an 8-4 victory against New Hampshire at Hadlock Field. Ross doubled his first time up. He then struck out twice. Ross was making an injury rehab appearance for the Sea Dogs. He has been on the..." May 23

SportingNews.com "Terry Francona is back at Fenway Park as an opposing manager for the first time since he left the Red Sox. Francona brought the Cleveland Indians to Boston for a four-game series starting Thursday night. He was let go by the Red Sox after eight years as their manager following a September 2011..." May 23

Foxsports.com "Some of the intrigue surrounding Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park as manager of the Cleveland Indians focused on what interaction, if any, he would have with the executives that dismissed him as Red Sox manager after the 2011 season: owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Larry..." May 23

WEEI Boston "Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, in an appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show, said that the Red Sox have talked at various points with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury about the possibility of something other than a one-year deal. However, each time, the team and player elected to agree to a one-year..." May 23

Boston Herald "On Day 9 of a nine-day trip, and with a Memorial Day weekend showdown against former manager Terry Francona awaiting their return to Fenway Park, the Red Sox could’ve been dragging before last night’s game. So, Clay Buchholz exhausted his playlist to keep the clubhouse lively. But if the Red..." May 23

ESPN.com "Terry Francona has already returned to Boston as a martyred hero during the centennial Fenway Park celebration, as a broadcaster for ESPN, as the subject and co-author of a best-seller. On Thursday, Francona will come back to Fenway as the manager in the visitors' dugout. Yes, that will be..." May 22

Boston Globe "Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, once said his team plays 162 one-game seasons because of all the scrutiny they receive. The same is true of the Red Sox, maybe even to a greater degree because there isn't a second major league team in the city. Everybody — fans and media —..." May 22

Boston Globe "On Monday the Boston Red Sox announced details for the eight annual Futures at Fenway event, featuring the future of the franchise at the friendly confines of Fenway Park on Saturday, July 27th at 12:00 p.m. For the first time since it's inception the day will feature only one game, this time..." May 22

Chicago Tribune "Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is off to a poor start but remains one of the more interesting potential free agents. Cubs President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer know Ellsbury well from their days in Boston and are aware of what he brings to the clubhouse. If Ellsbury can..." May 22

CSN Chicago "The way they played two weeks ago, when everything that could go wrong did, the White Sox would have found a way to lose Tuesday. But the White Sox continued a trend of solid all-around play even when it appeared forces had conspired against them yet again. On a night when they learned Chris..." May 22

Boston Herald "Last night, an ill wind from the Windy City blew down the Red Sox’ best chances to swiftly turn a 6-4 loss into a closer ballgame. Two long outs — one by Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the seventh, the other by Will Middlebrooks in the ninth — made all the difference for an offense that could not..." May 21

Boston Herald "Playing in Bill Murray’s hometown, Shane Victorino starred in his own version of “Groundhog Day.” Victorino left in the sixth inning of the Red Sox' 6-4 loss here Monday night after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring. It marked the fifth time this season that Victorino has exited a..." May 21

CSN New England "Jon Lester needed just nine pitches to retire the first two White Sox batters he faced Monday night. He got Alejandro De Aza to pop out to shortstop Stephen Drew and struck out Alexei Ramirez swinging on a changeup, the pitch that has served Lester so well this season. It appeared the..." May 21

Chicago Tribune "The White Sox took another major step forward in their offensive revival Monday night. In surging to a large lead before holding on for a 6-4 victory over the Red Sox, the offense discovered the art of the two-out clutch hit. The White Sox, who entered the game with a .208 batting average..." May 21

Boston Herald "When Jon Lester took the mound last night, he was trying to become the first Red Sox lefty starter since 1973 to go at least 7-0 to begin a season. But he also was facing his personal kryptonite. In his best and worst seasons, Lester struggles against the White Sox. He can’t explain it, but..." May 21

Boston Herald "Andrew Bailey has two roles with the Red Sox. That’s one too many. As of yesterday, he returned to being the closer — for the fourth time. The moment also marked the return of the most mysterious man on the Red Sox roster. That’s no reflection on Bailey’s personality, which is as..." May 21

NESN "Shane Victorino missed a couple of games recently with a back issue. Red Sox fans are now feeling lucky that he didn’t experience a setback on Monday night. The Red Sox outfielder left the game against the White Sox in the sixth inning with what the team is calling left hamstring tightness. In the..." May 21

Boston Herald "All along, the assumption was that the anticipation of free agency after this season would inspire Jacoby Ellsbury to once again reach MVP-caliber heights for the Red Sox. But take it from two of Ellsbury’s teammates: It isn’t so simple. A year ago, Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli were in..." May 21

Boston Herald "Playing last night in Bill Murray’s hometown, Shane Victorino starred in his own version of “Groundhog Day.” Victorino left the Red Sox’ 6-4 loss to the White Sox in the sixth inning after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring. It marked the fifth time this season that Victorino exited a..." May 21

Boston Herald "Thunderstorms drowned John Lackey’s shot yesterday at completing one of the finest starts as a member of the Red Sox. On the bright side, though, two things did happen. One, the Red Sox won, which meant Lackey doubled his win total to two in his increasingly intriguing and promising..." May 20

Boston Herald "With the Red Sox still in the early stages of a stretch of 20 games in as many days, manager John Farrell is trying to give each player at least one day off. To that, Dustin Pedroia may say no thanks. “Pedey will fight that tooth and nail,” Farrell said. “He fully expects to play every..." May 20

ESPN Boston "Through his first three years in Boston, it would have been tough to classify John Lackey as anything other than a disappointment. The right-hander, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the team before the 2010 season, had a 4.40 ERA in his first season -- which ballooned to 6.01 in..." May 20

NESN "John Farrell did some lineup tinkering during the Red Sox’ sweep of the Twins over the weekend, but it will be the usual starting nine that take the field when Boston opens a three-game set against the White Sox on Monday. Stephen Drew makes his return to the starting lineup after an awkward..." May 20

Toronto Star "R.A. Dickey has said the stat he cares most about is quality starts — the recognition given to a starter who pitches at least six innings while allowing no more than three runs. He says he’s not aiming for another sparkling Cy Young season — he just wants to give the Blue Jays a chance to win..." May 20

Boston Herald "When Jonny Gomes signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox, he was advertised as a hard-nosed player. A good chemistry guy not known for his glove, but adequate on defense. Someone who could get on base more than the average player, hit more than his share of home runs, and mash left-handed..." May 19

CSN New England "In April, Jacoby Ellsbury hit .283 with a .336 on-base percentage, and .416 slugging percentage. But the flip of the calendar has not been kind to him. In 16 games this month, he's hitting .188, going 13-for-69, with a double, a triple, four runs scored, three RBI, seven walks, and 10..." May 19

ESPN Boston "Closer Andrew Bailey is likely to be activated from the disabled list in time for Monday's game in Chicago after making a rehab appearance at Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday night. Bailey, who has been on the disabled list since April 29 with a strained right biceps, was scheduled to join the..." May 19

WEEI Boston "David Ortiz is at it again. The Red Sox designated hitter almost single-handedly carried his team to an 12-5 win over the Twins Saturday night at Target Field, with Ortiz claiming the 40th multi-home run game of his career via a pair of blasts. It marked the fourth time in Ortiz’ career he has..." May 19

Boston Herald "The Red Sox have had their share of injuries this season, but one body part in particular is getting more than its fair share of hurt. The head. David Ross is the second Red Sox player this season to go on the disabled list with a concussion. And, it was learned yesterday, just like Stephen..." May 18

Boston Herald "In the end, whatever the little, medium-sized or ginormous plays and decisions the Red Sox make each night do not matter, as long as they add up to a win. But after last night, it’s becoming clear the Red Sox are hell-bent on finding a new, different and entirely entertaining way for each and..." May 18

Boston Herald "All along, the assumption was that the anticipation of free agency after this season would inspire Jacoby Ellsbury to once again reach MVP-caliber heights. But take it from two of Ellsbury’s Red Sox teammates: It isn’t so simple. A year ago, Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli were in Ellsbury’s..." May 18

Boston Herald "Of all the issues Felix Doubront has had en route to becoming the weak link in the Red Sox’ rotation, none are so egregious as his inability to finish off an inning. To wit: Entering last night, opponents were batting .378 with five walks after Doubront records two outs. So, when Doubront..." May 17

Boston Herald "In the absence of a proven closer, go ahead and credit the save for the Red Sox’ come-from-behind 4-3 victory last night to right fielder Shane Victorino. Trailing 3-1 and down to their final strike in the ninth inning, the Sox scored three runs on Will Middlebrooks’ bases-loaded double against..." May 17

Boston Herald "A few minutes before Brad Marchand sent Bruins fans into delirium last night, Will Middlebrooks and the Red Sox staged a rousing rally of their own. After a scorching April, the Red Sox had floundered in May. And they appeared on their way to another listless loss, trailing 3-1 in the ninth with..." May 17

Boston Herald "Trailing 3-1 and down to their final strike in the ninth inning, the Red Sox scored three runs on Will Middlebrooks’ bases-loaded double against Tampa Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney. But if not for a pair of stellar catches by right fielder Shane Victorino in the eighth, the game may have been..." May 17

Boston Herald "Will Middlebrooks’ slump finally died last night. It happened at about 10:30 p.m., so you probably missed it, considering the Bruins were thundering away in overtime back home. But down to his last strike, and with the Red Sox trailing by two runs with two outs in the ninth inning, Middlebrooks..." May 17

Boston Herald "Among the more damning indictments of John Farrell’s tenure in Toronto came during spring training, when Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus accused his former manager of overreacting whenever times got tough. “It was like panic mode, ‘What are we doing?’ ” Rasmus said. “It was just a bad..." May 16

Boston Herald "Among the more damning indictments of John Farrell’s tenure in Toronto came during spring training, when Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus accused his former manager of overreacting whenever times got tough. “It was like panic mode, ‘What are we doing?’ ” Rasmus said. “It was just a bad..." May 16

Boston Herald "A week after bruising his ribcage in a collision with teammate David Ross, Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks admitted yesterday he still is having occasional difficulty catching his breath and sleeping on his right side. Strangely, though, the injury appears to have cured the worst slump..." May 16

Hardball Talk "We already knew that Joel Hanrahan was having season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, but doctors didn’t rule out the possibility that he would also require Tommy John surgery. Well, the worst-case scenario played out today. Hanrahan’s agent, Mike Dillon,..." May 16