Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Daniel Bard's future role hasn't been decided upon yet. Manager Bobby Valentine said Bard will remain a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, which is technically true, but his first outing Friday at Triple-A Pawtucket will be an abbreviated one. "He has a very good idea of what he's got to do," said Cherington. "He's just focusing on the fundamentals of what allowed him to be elite and what will allow him to be elite in the future, getting those locked in and then we'll worry about pitch counts and role and all that stuff later." We're betting that Bard returns in a bullpen role.