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Buchholz: 'I'm the odd man out' in Boston

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Clay Buchholz feels his days with the Boston Red Sox might be numbered.

After coming in to pitch the ninth inning of Boston's 13-2 rout of the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, Buchholz revealed he's no longer clear about his role in the Red Sox bullpen, leading to speculation that he may be on his way out of the only big-league club he's ever known.

"If this is the way the team is going to be as far as the rotation part of it ... I feel like the guys they're rolling out there, I don't have a spot. I'm the odd man out," Buchholz told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "I'm not sure. I don't know. Not having pitched in a while I felt like something has be going on. I'm just trying to stay as sharp as I can and that's why I've been throwing on the side. I have to stay somewhat stretched out."

Buchholz has wavered between the starting rotation and the bullpen since originally being demoted following a start on May 26 against the Colorado Rockies. However, with the Red Sox clinging to first place in the American League East and the rest of the club's starters rounding into midseason form, manager John Farrell agrees that trying to find a meaningful role for Buchholz right now is a concern.

"He's in a tough spot, I'll be candid," Farrell said, according to Bradford. "I don't want to say it's purgatory, but as far as baseball he's in a difficult spot. There was the four-day layover over the break. We've played very good winning baseball. We've gotten starters deeper into ballgames where the bullpen has been rested. That's where the decisions have come in."

In 71 1/3 innings pitched as a starter, Buchholz is posting a lofty 6.31 ERA and has allowed 17 home runs. As a reliever, though, the 31-year-old is crafting a 2.61 ERA in 10 1/3 innings.

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