Perfect problem

Sox have options with six arms ready for the rotation

MLB. The Red Sox are encountering the most pleasant of problems in their starting rotation.

With 35-year-old Bartolo Colon now firmly entrenched in the rotation and 23-year-old Clay Buchholz scheduled for another rehab start at Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday, the Sox could soon have six healthy arms for five starting spots.

“Whenever they give you the ball and call your name, you go out and do your job and do whatever you can to help the team win,” Buchholz said after throwing four innings of one-run ball on Sunday night. “You can’t really wonder what’s going to happen or where you’re going to be five days later.

“You’ve just got to make the best out of every outing that you make, and that’s what I’m on my way to doing right now. I want to get up there and stay up there regardless of whether it’s five starters or six starters.”

The Sox have a number of possibilities if they decide to tinker with the rotation.

They could find a way to skip 24-year-old Jon Lester for a start after working overtime on the mound in the early going. They could move elder statesman Tim Wakefield to the bullpen given his past experience there. The Sox could opt to keep Buchholz in the minor leagues as he regains confidence and command of a fastball that reached 96 mph on the radar gun Sunday. Or they could find a way to incorporate the cutting edge six-man rotation if all of their pitchers remain healthy.

The good news is the Sox’ coaching staff has all of these options and more at their disposal, and they have the roster flexibility the front office covets.

In Buchholz’s case, the Sox’ coaches were very clear in their desire for Buchholz to add more fastballs to his pitching philosophy during his rehab stint.

“They told me they wanted me to throw 60-65 percent fastballs,” Buchholz said. “[The fastball ratio] was really low because I guess I fell in love with the off-speed stuff because I had so much success with it early.”