According to 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beckett missed the start due to playing a round of golf.
"I haven't talked to Josh about this yet, so I'm not sure I can really comment on it other than I can say physical issues, I guess, he had a sore lat," team manager Valentine said. "He wasn't an injured player. I know that. And we'll take it from there. But I'm sure Josh wouldn't do anything that's going to jeopardize his team or his season. I know that."
Beckett plans to start next Thursday. Here's more from the report:
When asked about the report during his appearance Wednesday on WEEI sports radio in Boston, Valentine said he'd heard about it but seemed undecided on how to handle it.
"I'm aware of the story being out there. ... No, I haven't gotten to Josh about that yet and I'm trying to sort out my feelings," he said. "Golf is as much a part of the pitching culture as a curveball; I know that for sure."
Valentine told WEEI he wouldn't comment further until he received more information, but noted that Beckett hadn't been shut down with an injury but was merely missing a start because of the tightness.
"When we decided for Josh not to make his start, it wasn't because he was injured," Valentine said. "It was a precautionary situation because his lat was a little tight."
But he indicated he wouldn't condone his pitcher playing a full round of golf if he's trying to rest.
"Again, I don't know the specifics of the situation," Valentine said. "I don't know if he was out at a charity match, just putting, or if he was whaling away and felt that might have loosened things up. I have no idea what the situation actually is, so it's hard for me to comment on it. ... If that was the case (that he played golf), I would say that was less than the best thing to do on that day off."
Several sources indicate that he played golf two days before his start. And with the lat muscle being in the back, he felt stiffness after golf. Clearly, Beckett doesn't see baseball at this point as a top priority from observing this report.
Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. He also contributes at Hoops Authority and Eight Points Nine Seconds. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.
