From valuable setup man to demoted starting pitcher, Daniel Bard has come a long way in one year. Not that he will enjoy his latest destination. Bard was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
The 26-year old righty has struggled with his conversion into a starting pitcher, going 5-6 with a 5.24 ERA over 11 starts with the Red Sox this year. His strikeout rate has suffered significantly in his new role, and he's lasted an average of just 5.0 innings per start. He was knocked out of his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 3 after surrendering five runs in 1.2 innings.
Bard was quite a bit better last year as a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon, posting a 3.33 ERA over 73.0 innings. He was better in 2010, when he accrued a 1.93 ERA over 74.2 innings.
Darnell McDonald has been activated and will take Bard's place on the roster.
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