Ross is dealing with flu-like symptoms and may not be available for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Evan Drellich of CSN New England reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mookie Betts and Brock Holt are also battling the same illness, but only Holt was sent home Wednesday. Betts is out of the lineup, however, and though Ross will presumably be in uniform, manager John Farrell likely would prefer not to use the left-hander. If that's indeed the case, Fernando Abad would represent the team's top lefty relief option.

Ross has allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three in five spring innings.

EDGE Analysis

Ross has the luxury of getting his work in and getting ready for the regular season as his spot on the roster is set. He'll be the primary left-hander out of the bullpen, capable of pitching in a variety of roles -- lefty specialist, multiple innings or high-leverage situations.

Ross agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

EDGE Analysis

Terms of the agreement were not made available. He posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 56:23 K:BB in 55.1 innings out of the big league bullpen last season, and should pick up a similar middle relief role in 2017.

Ross allowed one hit and struck out one while pitching two-thirds of an inning to earn the win in Sunday's 11-8 victory over the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

Ross, who was one of many Boston relievers to shut down the Blue Jays over the final five innings, came on in the fifth with a runner on and retired the next two batters to get out of the inning. The left-hander continues to be a trusted member of the pen, having limited opponents to a 1.42 ERA and .184 batting average in the last 23 appearances. He'll get high-leverage work wherever it pops up in a game, including the eighth inning if need be.

Ross will be the first choice for a left-hander in the late innings, replacing Fernando Abad, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

There's no surprise here. Abad has been awful since joining the Red Sox. Ross had been pitching middle relief and facing multiple batters, situations in which he had more opportunity to pile up strikeouts, but now will move to a more specialized role, facing fewer batters. On the flip side, it also means if a lefty is needed to close out a game in a save situation, it would be Ross.

Ross was the pitcher of record in Tuesday night's 9-8 loss to the Tigers. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out one in a two-inning, 40-pitch relief outing.

EDGE Analysis

Ross initially performed well when called on in the fifth inning to replace struggling starter Steven Wright, but began to weaken as his pitch count rose, and Boston manager John Farrell tried to squeeze out one more batter. After retiring the first two batters in the seventh, Ross loaded the bases on a hit batsman, a single and a walk, and then walked in the winning run.

Ross may see situational save chances against left-handed hitters in the absence of Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara, Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Along with Tom Layne, Red Sox manager John Farrell expects to use Ross is spots when primary closer Brad Ziegler is needed earlier in the game (or if he's otherwise unavailable on a particular day). In the best-case scenario, Ross may only see a handful of opportunities working as part of Boston's new ninth-inning arrangement.

Ross has put together four consecutive scoreless outings, striking out five with one walk and three hits over five innings.

EDGE Analysis

Ross has been mostly good for Boston out of the pen with the one glaring blemish being when he allowed six runs during a 21-2 loss to the Angels two weeks ago.

Ross (0-1) allowed two runs on one hit and a walk during two-thirds of an inning against Baltimore on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Ross failed to record a strikeout for the first in his last 12 outings, and he couldn't locate his pitches properly. The 26-year-old lefty has had a solid season, but his last appearance increased his ERA to 3.15 in 20 innings.

Ross threw a scorless inning, allowing one hit while striking out two against Cleveland on May 20.

EDGE Analysis

Ross has now recorded at least one strikeout in his last nine outings which amounts to 18 over 11.1 innings. He's striking out batters at a career-high clip this season as his K/9 is nearly three strikeouts higher than any of his previous campaigns. While it's unlikely he's going to assume closing duties in Boston anytime soon due to the presence of Craig Kimbrel, the 26-year-old has cemented his role as a reliable reliever in Boston's bullpen.