Josh Bard, Gone Again

The Red Sox have announced that they have put catcher Josh Bard on waivers, effectively meaning that he has been released.

This must mean that George Kottaras is going to be splitting time behind the plate with Jason Varitek in 2009. While ITM was down in Florida Kottaras looked good hitting the ball, and we've all forced ourselves to believe that Tek can teach him (or any young catcher) to work with the pitching staff.

Kottaras is a lefty and hit 22 home runs in Pawtucket last year, so he has a little pop in his bat. In comparison Tek can't hit a soft ball from the left side of the plate.

For Josh Bard this is the second time he's been shown the door in Boston. I don't recall any reports that Bard was struggling with catching the Wake's knuckle ball; I would think the Sox just see more upside in Kottaras.

More to come as this story develops.