Josh Beckett visited another specialist on Tuesday and is back on track to make his first start of the MLB regular season on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers after worries that his bothersome thumb could delay his opening start, according to a Boston Herald report.
"The nature of the injury is that it's really not much of an injury, I would think," manager Bobby Valentine said, "because he's been cleared to pitch and compete and I haven't been told about any limitations he might have."
Beckett, who bounced back from a disappointing 2010 season to finish 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA during 2011, is a crucial piece in Boston's starting rotation. Considering that the Red Sox have very little starting pitching depth to begin with, any serious injury to Beckett would be a setback that could keep the Red Sox out of the American League playoffs in the crowded AL East.
Thankfully, it seems that Beckett's thumb will hold up, although it's still curious he needed to visit three specialists.
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