Bard: The Bullpen Is "Where I Belong"

When he returns from Pawtucket, Daniel Bard will be back in the Red Sox bullpen.

It just kind of hit me, felt like that's where I belong. That's the role I belong in. Even in a game in AAA, it doesn't have the same implications as one up in Boston, it's still that feeling of coming out of the bullpen, pitching with that extra adrenaline and stuff. It just felt right. It felt like that’s where I'm supposed to be. I knew then that it's something that I wanted to do moving forward. ...

I still think I could be a good starter [in the future]. I think I can be a great reliever. I'm already a good reliever. It just seemed like there's more conviction for me to do that. There's a lot of conviction in that decision for me. And it started with me. That's what I like about it. I do feel like a big part was my decision.

Ben Cherington:

We essentially reached the conclusions independently and came together and talked about it. We reached the same conclusion. The primary factors were that for 2012 we need as many guys to impact the big league team as we can. We felt as we get toward the end of June the best chance to do that would be in the bullpen for this year.

Does Bard expect to be the closer when he returns?

I'm not really focused on that right now. I'm kind of over trying to be sexy. Just find my role, get comfortable again. Feel like I'm getting close. Whatever role I pitch in, that's essentially up to the team, up to the manager.

The bullpen - already a strong part of the team - could be devastating in a couple of weeks with Bard and Andrew Bailey added to the mix:

Bard
Bailey
Padilla
Morales
Melancon
Aceves
Atchison