The Red Sox face some dilemmas as the returns of Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury and Andrew Bailey draw nearer. In the outfield, the Sox already have Daniel Nava, who is hitting in the .333 range and is a very competent fielder. They also have a fine prospect in Ryan Kalish. If these men continue at their present pace, simply sitting them or the reliable Cody Ross would be foolish. Crawford and Ellsbury are coming back from serious injuries. There is no guarantee that we will see the pre-2011 Crawford or the Ellsbury who last year seemed a budding superstar.
Bailey presents another problem. Alfredo Aceves seems to have grown into the closer role. He has said in the past that he would rather start. Again, however, there is no way of knowing if Bailey will be the pitcher that was 09 Rookie of the Year in Oakland or the guy that went 1-7 over the next two years with fading stats. There is also the question of what Daniel Bard will do when he returns from the minors as a reliever. Is it wise to disrupt what has become an excellent bullpen?
If the team is still in the race when these players come back, it appears the Sox will be in fine shape for a late-season playoff run. But they must be very careful how these men are worked in.
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