Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Friday's 1-0 win over the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes was the one reliever that was unscathed in Opening Day's bullpen meltdown, so he was given the opportunity as the bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel.

Barnes allowed one run on two hits while striking out five over two innings Saturday against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes, who didn't allow a run in his five previous Grapefruit League outings, ran his fastball up to 98 mph Saturday and has struck out nine 12 over seven innings. He's one of the hard throwers the Red Sox can call on in the seventh or eighth innings. The trick for Barnes is to command better. The right-hander has walked 3.9 batters per nine innings over the last two seasons.

Barnes closed out Tuesday's game to pick up his first save of the season in Boston's 1-0 win over Baltimore in 11 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Having used closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning, manager John Farrell had to rely on second-tier relievers for a second consecutive night. On Monday, it was Carson Smith closing out an 11-inning affair. Barnes faced the heart of the Baltimore order Tuesday, setting them down 1-2-3. He's capable of pitching in any situation and has pitched better than his 3.82 ERA might suggest.

Barnes (back) was activated from the DL prior to Friday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

He will slot back into his mid-to-high-leverage role in Boston's bullpen. Barnes has a 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 60 innings this year, picking up six wins in the process.

Barnes (back) expects to be activated from the 10-day disabled list when first eligible on Friday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes, who has been on the shelf since Aug. 22 with a lower back strain, is on the cusp of a return to the big-league bullpen. He's set to make a minor-league rehab start for Double-A Portland on Tuesday, and if all goes well, his next appearance should be for the Red Sox. Once he returns, Barnes should resume his role as one of Boston's main setup men for closer Craig Kimbrel.

Barnes was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a lower-back strain, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The move to the DL comes after Barnes failed to record an out while allowing both batters he faced to reach base in Monday's loss to the Indians. The Red Sox recalled Hector Velasquez from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill Barnes' spot in the bullpen, but it's expected that Joe Kelly and Brandon Workman will be the main beneficiaries of more high-leverage opportunities while Barnes is sidelined.

Barnes (6-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits without retiring a batter in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes came on in the eighth inning with Boston up, 3-1, but couldn't offer the kind of relief he's generally provided this season. He entered the game having allowed just two runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out 17 over his previous 17.1 innings. It may just be a blip but it's a blip that comes at the trade deadline and might just spur the Red Sox to add another bullpen arm, like the Mets' Addison Reed, who can also fill in at closer when Craig Kimbrel is unavailable.

Barnes cleaned up Wednesday's 8-2 loss to Texas with a perfect inning.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes had lost himself during a recent road trip, walking six batters over 2.1 innings, which prompted him to adjust his mechanics, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. The right-hander replaced a leg lift with a compact slide step to get his front leg to its proper landing spot. That tweak has helped Barnes pitch 5.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks over his last five appearances.

Barnes walked six batters over 2.1 innings on Boston's recently completed road trip, throwing strikes on just 31 of 69 pitches.

EDGE Analysis

A mediocre trip went bad Wednesday when Barnes walked both batters he faced on 10 pitches, setting off what was Boston's first bullpen meltdown of the season. Overall, Barnes and the rest of the pen have been pretty good -- the Red Sox were 27-0 in games they led after seven innings. He'll remain the eighth inning reliever for now, but not if he continues to throw a mere 45 percent of pitches for strikes.

Barnes (5-2) allowed three hits and struck out five over two scoreless innings in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

It initially didn't look like Barnes would pick up a career-high fifth when the Phils had runners on second and third with one out in the 10th inning, but the right-hander avoided damage by striking out the final two batters. He later worked around a leadoff single in the 11th. With Carson Smith (elbow) working his way back from Tommy John surgery, there's thought that he could provide some high-leverage work, but until that time, Barnes is manager John Farrell's go-to guy in tense situations.