Barnes pitched the bottom of the ninth for his first save of the season during Friday's come-from-behind win against the Mariners, working a clean inning with two strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes looked good in the process, with the other takeaway being that Ryan Brasier was also available after neither pitched in Thursday's opener. The Boston closer situation was and still is one of the more uncertain ones around baseball, but Barnes was expected to be the leading closer candidate and certainly held serve in this one. It'll be interesting to see what happens if the defending champs get another save opportunity right away again Saturday.

Barnes allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out one in the fifth inning Monday against the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

All of the damage against Barnes came before he received a mound visit from pitching coach Dana Levangie, who told the right-hander he was tipping his pitches, Tom Keegan of the Boston Herald reports. "I was tipping," Barnes said. "He told me, and I was able to fix it right away. It doesn't matter how good your stuff is, if they know what's coming, it's going to get hit. I feel like stuff-wise today was great, and then the swings I got on pitches following the mound visit were more in line with how I felt about my stuff." There's a potential crisis averted. There are a lot of eyes on Barnes this spring as he competes to become Boston's closer, a role he's been close to but never held.

Barnes allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning Saturday against Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

This was bets of Barnes' three Grapefruit League outings. He battled fastball command the first time out followed by his curveball in his second outing. Saturday's appearance provides a semblance of relief for those betting on Barnes being Boston's closer.

Barnes allowed one hit and two walks while striking out two over one inning Tuesday against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes wriggled out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam by striking out Victor Reyes. It was a second straight outing in which Barnes labored; he gave up four hits and three runs in first appearance. He placed the blame on his curveball. "The curveball command was bad today," Barnes told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "I couldn't throw it for a strike. I thought it was an improvement on last outing. I thought the fastball played better today than it had. Command overall with the fastball didn't miss by much." Barnes is being watched carefully this spring because he has been mentioned -- along with Ryan Brasier -- as a candidate to receive save opportunities. Manager Alex Cora has not decided to go with a set closer or a variety of arms for saves.

Barnes made his first appearance of spring training Saturday and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out one in an inning against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes auditioned for the role of Boston's closer, and it wasn't pretty. Three of the first four batters he faced had extra-base hits, and he wild-pitched a runner in from third base. Barnes is the clear favorite to occupy the ninth-inning role but has limited experience in such situations, although the right-hander has high-pressure experience, pitching in the postseason as a high-leverage, eighth-inning reliever. Manager Alex Cora has also mentioned Ryan Brasier (toe) as a candidate for saves along with Barnes.

Barnes will make his spring debut Saturday against the Mets, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes had been scheduled to debut next week, but he was deemed ready to go sooner. He is the leading candidate to close games for Boston this season, or be the primary closer with Ryan Brasier (toe) still in the mix. The 28-year-old right-hander has been an important bullpen arm the last three seasons, but his track record as a closer is limited and spotty. Barnes has a career 5.22 ERA in the ninth inning (29.1 IP). He can bring the heat, but Barnes has battled control during his career and walked 4.5 batters per nine innings in 2018.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Barnes is a candidate to close for the Red Sox in 2019, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Craig Kimbrel heading to free agency, Dombrowski named Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Steven Wright and Tyler Thornburg as internal options who could potentially takeover as Boston's closer in 2019. Barnes and Brasier are apparently the two frontrunners for the gig, though the Red Sox could also bring in another capable back-end arm prior to the start of the season. The 28-year-old righty compiled a 3.65 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of relief in 2018.

Barnes agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Boston on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes made 62 appearances out of the bullpen a season ago, posting a 3.65 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 96 punchouts over 61.2 frames. He figures to receive plenty of high-leverage opportunities in 2019 and could compete for the closer's role if he carries his recent success into spring training.

Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Barnes (hip) is "a full go" and "ready for game action" heading into Thursday's series finale against the Yankees, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cora added that he won't put Barnes immediately into high-leverage spots upon his return. The right-hander has been sidelined with left hip inflammation dating back to Sept. 3, but will have about a week and a half to get back into game shape before the start of the postseason.

Barnes (hip) expects to get in a game soon, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes hasn't pitched since Sept. 3 due to hip inflammation. He's been throwing full-speed bullpen sessions and appears to be ready to go.