Red Sox' Josh Beckett to miss Sunday start with shoulder inflammation

Boston Red Sox righthander Josh Beckett had just begun to turn his season around after a poor start and his mistimed golf outing, but now comes word that he has been scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Manager Bobby Valentine said that Beckett was prescribed rest, and that he may undergo a test or two to determine if there is a more significant problem. Beckett will not be placed on the disabled list "for now," said Valentine.

Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that after he is reevaluated on Saturday, Beckett will go on the 15-day DL if the team expects him to miss a second start.

Taking Beckett's turn in the rotation will be lefthander Franklin Morales, the hard-throwing setup man who has not started a game since 2009. But Boston appeared to know if might need him, as he was stretched out in his last two appearances, throwing a combined 7.1 innings.