Prescription for Beckett is simply rest

Josh Beckett can rest now, which is what he needs. He never admitted as much this month, no matter how obvious it became. The Red Sox couldn't afford sitting him, even when, under different circumstances, Beckett would not have pitched.

Beckett will not need an offseason operation for his strained right oblique, but had the injury occurred during the regular season, he would have been placed on the disabled list, general manager Theo Epstein said.

Beckett's weakened performance in the postseason was due only to the oblique, Epstein said, and not the elbow inflammation that led him to see specialist James Andrews at the end of August. His recovery will be merely six weeks of rest, Epstein said.

"It's pretty clear watching him pitch in October that he wasn't 100 percent," Epstein said. "But he deserves all the credit in the world for healing quickly, fighting through it, doing what he needed to do to get out there.

"Even though he was somewhat diminished, he really battled."

After the Rays shelled him in Game 2, Beckett pitched a Game 6 that Epstein called "borderline heroic."

Beckett altered his approach, throwing more cutters and off-speed pitches while taking velocity off his fastball. After allowing eight runs in 4 1/3 innings in his previous start, Beckett lasted five innings and yielded two runs.

No shortstop shortage

Shortstop will be a position of intrigue this offseason. Rookie Jed Lowrie replaced Julio Lugo in midseason when Lugo went down with an injury, and he emerged as a reliable part of the lineup.

The Sox are not worried about Lugo's quadriceps injury; he may have been available for the World Series had the Sox made it, Epstein said.

"He's got a lot to offer," Epstein said. "He's also got a lot to prove. Lowrie and Lugo can also complement each other pretty well. We'll see what the offseason brings."

The Sox believe Lowrie can play all four infield positions, and they considered asking him to try first base this season. Ultimately, they decided adding another position would be too burdensome.

"I haven't talked to anybody as far as positioning [for next season]," Lowrie said. "My mind-set is I'm a shortstop. If they asked me to play third or second, then so be it."

Pitching options

Justin Masterson's role next season - starter or reliever - "remains to be seen," Epstein said, "and could be affected by what we're able to accomplish this winter."

Masterson began the season as a starter in Double A Portland, moved to Boston as a starter, moved back to Triple A Pawtucket as a reliever, then returned as a reliever, excelling late in the season and into the playoffs.

"There's no doubt he gives us options," Epstein said. "We like him as a starter, and we like him as a reliever. His career could go a lot of different ways. And he'll probably end up doing both throughout different phases of his career."

Masterson's duties may also depend on Clay Buchholz's progression. Buchholz was demoted to Portland after spending much of the season in the Red Sox rotation.

He is currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League, throwing in the 93-, 95-mile-per-hour range, and has reacquired his standout changeup.

"The reports we've gotten have been outstanding," Epstein said. "He's working with a real purpose and determination to try to figure some things out that had perplexed him."

A tough one to stomach

Terry Francona did not come to Fenway Park yesterday, still fighting an illness that struck Sunday night. During the late innings, Francona went back and forth from the dugout to the clubhouse because a stomach bug was making him vomit . . . David Ortiz's wrist will not require surgery this offseason, and his postseason struggles did not change Epstein's view of his value. "I see no reason why he can't come back and be one of the most dominant power bats in baseball sitting in the middle of our lineup next year," Epstein said.

Tony Massarotti of the Globe staff contributed to this report.