Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he plans on stretching Alfredo Aceves out over the final month of the season.

In other words, you can forget about him closing games, at least not on a regular basis. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe notes that the move is "not necessarily" being made in order to get Aceves ready to start a game sometime next month. Andrew Bailey is set to be the Red Sox' closer in September.

According to the Boston Herald, "it's plainly evident" that Alfredo Aceves is no longer the Red Sox's closer.

Aceves immediately picked up a blown save in his return from suspension Tuesday, and entered Wednesday's game in the seventh inning in a low-leverage situation. The Red Sox have yet to make an official announcement, but Andrew Bailey has given up one run in five-plus innings since coming off the disabled list, and will serve as the closer for the remainder of the season.

Alfredo Aceves was reinstated from his suspension on Tuesday, and immediately picked up another blown save in his first action back.

Aceves came in to get the final out of the eighth inning, and came back to start the ninth with a 5-4 lead. After getting Maicer Izturis to fly out, he hit Erick Aybar with a pitch to put the tying run on base. After Aybar stole second, Aceves walked Alberto Callaspo to put the winning run on base. Mike Trout then delivered an RBI single to tie the game, and Torii Hunter added a sacrifice fly to walk the Angels off. If it wasn't abundantly clear before, Andrew Bailey should be the favorite for saves moving forward.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Monday that he hasn't made a decision about Alfredo Aceves' role.

Aceves was given a three-game suspension Saturday for "conduct detrimental to the team" after going on a tirade when Andrew Bailey was granted a save opportunity on Friday night and converted it successfully. "Remember, I don't have a lot of rules," Bobby V told reporters Monday morning, "but one of the rules I stated early on is that you don't do anything to embarrass yourself, your teammates or your organization." It sounds as though Bailey could take over the ninth-inning role for good.

Red Sox suspended RHP Alfredo Aceves three games for conduct detrimental to the team.

Aceves apparently got into a heated exchange with Boston manager Bobby Valentine after Friday night's game against the Royals, when Andrew Bailey was given a save opportunity and converted. Aceves will begin serving the three-game punishment on Saturday night. He has a 4.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 25 saves in 32 chances this season.

Alfredo Aceves got seven outs for a victory as the Red Sox edged the Yankees 3-2 in 10 innings Sunday.

Aceves was charged with a blown save after allowing a single to Russell Martin in the eighth to score an inherited runner, but he retired seven of eight hitters from there. He's pitched 9 1/3 scoreless innings and earned two wins and three saves since the All-Star break.

Alfredo Aceves sent down the Rays in order on Friday, notching his 20th save of the season.

While he's 0-6 on the season with a 4.32 ERA and has blown four saves, he continues to be the best option the Red Sox have in the ninth inning until Andrew Bailey returns. Still, he has managed to rack up 20 saves, and most fantasy owners are willing to overlook the weak supporting numbers to get those crucial saves.

Alfredo Aceves was slapped with his sixth loss of the season and fourth blown save, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on three hits against the A's.

Staked to a 2-1 lead in the ninth, Aceves allowed a one-out RBI single to Brandon Moss. Ryan Kalish's throwing error allowed Chris Carter and Cliff Pennington to move to second and third, respectively, setting up Coco Crisp's game-winning sacrifice fly. It's obviously been an up-and-down year for Aceves. He posted an atrocious 10.29 ERA in April before improving to 2.89 and 3.14 ERA in May and June, respectively. Tuesday's outing was his second of this month and the first in which he'd allowed a run. Overall, Aceves is 0-6 and 19-for-23 in save opportunities. His 4.54 ERA is terrible, but his peripheral numbers and isolated implosions in April almost guarantee that it will come down. Aceves has a 40/13 K/BB rate over 41-plus innings to go with a 1.18 WHIP.

Alfredo Aceves shut down the Cubs in the ninth inning Saturday, earning his 16th save of the season.

It's been an up-and-down kind of year for Aceves, who has picked up two losses already this month to fall to 0-4. The right-hander has, however, converted four consecutive save chances and 16-of-19 on the season.

Alfredo Aceves blew his third save, and first since April 21, in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.

This one was more a case of Aceves making one-bad pitch as opposed to melting down, as he served up the go-ahead, two-run homer to Sean Rodriguez after issuing a leadoff walk to Ben Zobrist and retiring Sox nemesis Luke Scott. Aceves retired Drew Sutton and Eliot Johnson with ease following S-Rod's surprising blast. The owner of a 1.23 May ERA coming into this afternoon, Aceves' job is not in danger.

Alfredo Aceves got four outs for his eighth save of the season Thursday against the Rays.

Aceves allowed an RBI single to B.J Upton with two outs in the eighth, but was otherwise solid, throwing 17 of his 21 pitches for strikes. He's now converted six consecutive save chances and has a 5.29 ERA through his first 17 appearances.

Alfredo Aceves put in an inning of work on Thursday, giving up an inconsequential ninth inning run in an 8-3 loss to the Indians.

It marked the first run scored against Aceves in seven appearances spanning more than nine innings. He owns a 13/3 K/BB ratio during this stretch, as he finally seems to be settling into his new role.

Alfredo Aceves loaded the bases before notching his fourth save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Tasked with closing out a 7-6 victory and three-game sweep, Aceves walked Trevor Plouffe, served up a single to Ryan Doumit and plunked Alexi Casilla in between recording his three outs. Needless to say, he and his 14.40 ERA and 2.60 WHIP are still on thin ice as the Red Sox closer. Keep one eye on Daniel Bard if you are an owner.

Alfredo Aceves converted his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning in Monday's win over the Twins.

Chris Parmelee singled off of him, but Aceves was able to nail down the win without any major problems. He's given up runs in only two of seven appearances this season, but, unfortunately, those outings have been horrendous. His leash in the ninth inning should continue to be very short unless he can string together some dominant outings.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Wednesday that Alfredo Aceves will close if the team has a lead on Opening Day.

And it appears that Bobby V has settled on a replacement for Andrew Bailey, who is expected to miss the entire first half of the season following thumb surgery. It's a bit of a swerve, as many expected Mark Melancon to get the nod, but Aceves should be plenty effective. He's officially worth adding in all formats.

Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com predicts that Alfredo Aceves would be used as the Red Sox' closer if Andrew Bailey starts the season on the disabled list.

Interesting. We figured Mark Melancon would be the first to get a shot in the ninth inning, but apparently the Red Sox might have more faith in Aceves, who was beaten out by Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard for a rotation spot. The right-hander has just four saves over 114 career appearances but is fully capable of handling the role, having posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP last season.

Alfredo Aceves surrendered two runs -- one earned -- and three hits over six innings Thursday against the Blue Jays.

It was mostly against backups and minor leaguers, so Aceves should have had a good day. He's struggled just once this spring, though that was a nine-run outing and it's still taking a heavy toll on his 5.50 ERA. It remains unclear whether he or Daniel Bard will end up in the pen to start the year.

Alfredo Aceves was torched for nine runs in three innings by the Phillies on Saturday.

An ugly day, but since Aceves had previously been lights out this spring, it probably won't be held against him. He'll likely be a part of the Red Sox rotation if the team decides to shift Daniel Bard back to the pen.

Alfredo Aceves allowed one run in four innings and struck out four Thursday against the Cardinals.

On merit, Aceves deserves a crack at the fifth spot in Boston's rotation. Still, the Red Sox might be better off using him out of the pen initially and then moving him into the rotation later if the alternatives don't work out. It's not as though he's likely to throw 200 innings as a starter anyway.

Red Sox and RHP Alfredo Aceves avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2 million contract.

The deal includes an additional $100,000 in incentives. Aceves requested $1.6 million and was offered $950,000 from the Red Sox when arbitration numbers were exchanged. The two sides were able to work out an agreement prior to a hearing. With Aceves signed, David Ortiz is Boston's only pending arbitration case.