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A source tells Alex Speier of WEEI that the Red Sox have designated reliever Daniel Bard for assignment. Bard has spent the entirety of the 2013 season in the minors and has struggled when not injured, badly so at times.
If indeed Bard has been DFA'd, then he'll be off the Red Sox's 40-man roster. The Sox will then have a matter of days to trade, release or out-right Bard and keep him in the minors. For the latter to occur, Bard would need to clear waivers.
It wasn't so long ago that Bard, now 28, was one of the top set-up mean around, as he pitched to a 2.88 ERA (154 ERA+) at the MLB level from 2009-11. However, it may have been the team's decision to try out Bard as a starter in 2012 that threw him off course.
If nothing else, Bard seems like the kind of reclamation project that could benefit from a change of scenery and instruction.
