Tim Wakefield will be a part of the Red Sox' Opening Day roster.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona raised a few eyebrows earlier this month when he wouldn't commit to Wakefield being part of the bullpen, but in reality his roster spot was never really in jeopardy. "You know, Wake's done everything. Probably the hardest thing is for me to try to figure out how to use him and get the most out of him," said Francona. "... But trying to figure out how to use him in the bullpen when things are going good is a little tricky, just cause there's always that chance of a passed ball or stolen base."

Tim Wakefield was tagged for six runs on seven hits and a walk Friday against the Rays.

He struck out a pair but gave up four homers, including one to former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez. Wakefield had been pitching well this spring until today's bump in the road. No worries, as sometimes the knuckler just doesn't want to knuckle. Wakefield will serve as a long man out of the Sox bullpen this season, and you can usually count on him making a handful of spot starts.

Tim Wakefield said Thursday that he's thinking of playing beyond 2011.

When asked if this will be his final major league season, the veteran knuckleballer responded, "No, no, no. The door is always open. Until you actually see me sit down at that press conference and say that I'm going to retire, I wouldn't count on anything right now." How old is Wakefield? As a rookie in 1992, his Pirates had the sixth highest payroll in baseball, three spots ahead of the Yankees. He also won games 3 and 6 that year in Pittsburgh's dramatic NLCS loss to the upstart Braves. One of the more effective knuckleballers of his era, Wakefield is still able to string together some strong innings.

Tim Wakefield said Friday that 2011 will probably be his final year.

"There are still some numbers I want to achieve," Wakefield told the Boston Globe. "But I'm not going to put that much pressure on myself knowing that this probably will be my last year." The 44-year-old knuckleballer finished with a 5.32 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 140 1/3 innings this past season.

Tim Wakefield allowed five earned runs over five innings Saturday as the Red Sox fell to the Yankees.

Wakefield struck out six batters, but he gave up seven hits and three walks as the Sox lost in extra innings. He will finish the 2010 season 4-10 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 140 1/3 innings.

Tim Wakefield has officially been named Saturday's starter against the Yankees.

This confirms a report by Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com. Wakefield will start in place of Clay Buchholz, who was scratched due to a stiff lower back. The 44-year-old knuckleballer has a 5.20 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 31 games (18 starts) this season. It's not the ideal matchup for fantasy owners.

Making his first start since Aug 25, Tim Wakefield earned a win by limited the Rays to five runs over five innings.

Wakefield was called upon so that Clay Buchholz could stay on regular rest. The veteran knuckleballer wasn't great, but did his job as usually odes. And in the process, he earned himself a $500,000 bonus by sailing past the 130 inning mark this season.

Tim Wakefield's base salary for 2011 will increase from $1.5 million to $2 million if he completes at least 3 1/3 innings in Wednesday night's start against the Rays.

The Red Sox altered their rotation after Tuesday's loss to the Rays, pushing Clay Buchholz back to Friday in order to use him on regular rest. Wakefield will happily reap the benefits. The incentive kicks in once he reaches 130 innings. He is at 126 2/3 innings right now.

Tim Wakefield will start Wednesday's game against the Rays in place of Clay Buchholz.

The Red Sox changed plans after dropping Tuesday's game to the Rays. Buchholz will now start on regular rest Friday against the Athletics. This will be Wakefield's first start since August 25. The 44-year-old knuckleballer has a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts and 11 relief appearances this season.

Tim Wakefield will start the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mariners.

Wakefield was pushed to the bullpen in late July when Josh Beckett returned from a stint on the disabled list. The veteran knuckleballer has a 5.29 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 119 total frames this season.

Tim Wakefield will head to the bullpen when Josh Beckett is activated from the disabled list on Friday.

It's the right move. Wakefield has posted an uninspiring 3-8 record, 5.58 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 108 innings this season and does not belong in the rotation of a World Series contender. He's faced 32 batters in relief this season and has held them to a combined .250/.242/.531 slash line. Nice fit.

Tim Wakefield was pummeled for seven runs (six earned) in just two innings Thursday in the loss to Texas.

The knuckleballer was done in by a six-run first when the Rangers got six straight hits. He allowed eight hits overall and saw his record fall to 3-8. Wakefield for the most part pitched well in June and in his first outing in July, but he's been hammered his last two times out. He'll hope to bounce back against the A's in his next start.

The Red Sox will start Tim Wakefield in their first game after the All-Star break next week.

He'll be followed by Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Josh Beckett might be ready to return the second time through the rotation.

Tim Wakefield went eight strong innings against the Orioles on Friday night, yielding two earned runs to earn his third win.

The knuckleballer struck out four, walked one and gave up seven hits. It's the second time that Wakefield has gone eight innings this season, but he has gone seven or more in four of last five starts. Still, with poor strikeout numbers and a 4.96 ERA, fantasy owners should stay away with the Rays on deck.

Tim Wakefield gave up four runs -- three earned -- over 6 1/3 innings as part of a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Wakefield held the Dodgers to just one run over the first five innings, but he unraveled as the game continued, giving up a solo home run to Manny Ramirez in the sixth inning and an RBI double to Blake DeWitt in the seventh. Manny Delcarmen would allow the fourth run to score on a sacrifice fly by Matt Kemp, tying the game and closing the book on Wakefield. The 43-year-old knuckleballer tied a season-high with six strikeouts in the no-decision. He'll carry a 5.33 ERA into a start against the Giants next week.

Tim Wakefield held the Indians to two runs -- one earned -- over 7 1/3 innings Tuesday as the Red Sox topped the Tribe 3-2.

Sometimes that knuckler just seems to work, and other times not. Wakefield fanned six batters and didn't allow a single walk. He also held the Indians to four hits and lowered his ERA and WHIP substantially. While not a great fantasy option because he's shaky at the drop of a hat, Wake was great tonight.

Tim Wakefield lost to the A's after giving up six runs in six innings on Thursday.

It's the fourth time in eight starts this season that Wakefield has allowed six runs. His other four outings have all been quality starts, but he hasn't made much of a case for staying in the rotation following Josh Beckett's return from the DL.

Tim Wakefield hurled eight scoreless innings as the Red Sox beat the Phillies on Sunday.

Reliever Ramon Ramirez blew the shutout in the ninth, but the Red Sox still won the game 8-3. Wakefield struck out just one in the outing, but also gave up just baserunners. The knuckleballer has thrown well in each of his last two starts and gets the lowly Royals this week, so Wakefield is a savvy pickup if you're in need of some innings.

Making his first start since April 25, Tim Wakefield allowed three runs over seven innings in a loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Wakefield was sharp despite a lakc of work, as he walked just one in the game. Still, the Red Sox couldn't support him today. Whether Wakefield gets another start next deep will hinge on Josh Beckett's back.

According to Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Tim Wakefield will move to the bullpen and Daisuke Matsuzaka will take his spot in the rotation on Saturday in Baltimore.

According to the report, Wakefield doesn't appear to be happy about this arrangement. "This is not us turning (Wakefield) into a reliever, this is us putting him in the bullpen until he starts again," said manager Terry Francona. Wakefield's anger would be more justified if he hadn't posted a 5.40 ERA up to this point.