Tim Wakefield officially reported to duty as a reliever on Friday night. The veteran knuckleballer had a chat with manager Terry Francona to discuss usage and preparation. Wakefield last pitched in relief during the 2004 American League Championship Series. The last time he worked as a reliever with any regularity was in the first half of the 2002 season. The reason for the move is the return from the disabled list of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who will start on Saturday night. "We talked to [Wakefield] about a couple of things," Francona said. "One thing we didn't want to do is try to think we were doing something to help him and [then] hinder him. He expressed, like I knew he would, 'Hey, I'll be ready for anything.' He always is, which is good. We want to keep him stretched out, for obvious reasons. At the same time, we'd like to not bring him in the first outing with the bases loaded, that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. The one thing we want to try to do is keep him stretched out, and if that's a problem, something's really going right." Depending on the workload of the starters, Francona indicated that there could be occasions when Wakefield is slotted into the rotation to give everyone an extra day of rest. "That's also very realistic," Francona said. "We'll see. We don't have a date circled, but that's certainly something that could happen."

The Red Sox will honor the recently retired Nomar Garciaparra with a pregame ceremony before Wednesday night's contest at Fenway Park against the Angels. Garciaparra signed a one-day Minor League contract with Boston on March 10 so he could retire as a member of the Red Sox, the team he played for from 1996-2004 and with whom he won two batting titles with. He threw out the first pitch before Boston's Grapefruit League contest on the same day he retired.

Reliever Alan Embree, who hasn't pitched in the major leagues since last July, is back with the Red Sox. Embree made 211 relief appearances with Boston from 2002 to 2005. "I feel great and I'm here to help out any way they want me," said Embree. "I'm hoping I get the chance to go back to Boston." The Red Sox will recall Daisuke Matsuzaka on Saturday, which will spell the end for one of the team's relievers.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona pinch-hit Mike Lowell for David Ortiz on Tuesday night, a move that could become more frequent. Francona said earlier in the season that he didn't want to begin pulling Ortiz from games because he didn't want the designated hitter looking over his shoulder. Ortiz went 0 for 2 with a walk on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays and saw his batting average drop to .154 on the season.

The Red Sox have agreed to terms with Cuban catcher Adalberto Ibarra on a five-year deal worth $4.3 million, according to reports. He will be placed on the team's 40-man roster once the contract becomes official. Boston doesn't have a catcher under contract for the 2011 season and they have struggled defensively at the position this season.

The Red Sox are moving Tim Wakefield to the bullpen to make room for Daisuke Matsuzaka in the starting rotation. Matsuzaka will start on Saturday against the Orioles. "I think he had a lot on his mind all week," manager Terry Francona said of Wakefield, who had been informed of the decision on Thursday. "Maybe we made it harder on him. "We'll have some things to deal with. This will turn out good." The knuckleballer refused to discuss the demotion.

We don't know how long the Red Sox will stick with the struggling David Ortiz, but ESPN points out that there will be no shortage of replacement options this summer. Boston has been linked to San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez and to a lesser degree Milwaukee's Prince Fielder, but there could be cheaper options as well. Depending on where their respective teams stand at midseason, Washington's Adam Dunn, Chicago's Derrek Lee, Detroit's Magglio Ordonez and Chicago's Paul Konerko could hit the market.

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit his first home run of the season on Friday night against the Orioles. Ortiz has been mired in a slump and was yanked from Boston's DH spot in each of the team's previous two games. "You can tell he's getting a lot better," said Victor Martinez. "You can see it in his [batting practice]." Ortiz entered the game hitting .146 with just two RBIs. He homered into the Green Monster seats off Jeremy Guthrie, moving Boston ahead 1-0 in the second inning.

The trade market for Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has yet to develop because San Diego is playing well, but a new suitor could emerge. The Red Sox have long been considered the front-runner to land Gonzalez, but FOX Sports writes that the Braves could have interest in the slugger. Atlanta has a great pitching staff, but their hitting can be sub-par at times. "They won't score many runs once teams realize that you shouldn't pitch to (Jason) Heyward ? except inside," a scout said.

Jacoby Ellsbury has hairline fractures in four ribs and it's not known when he'll be able to return. Ellsbury has been out since April 11, when he collided with third baseman Adrian Beltre in Kansas City. He would have been eligible to come off the disabled list on Tuesday. Boston team Dr. Thomas Gill said "it will be safe to play as soon as the symptoms resolve."