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When former Red Sox farmhand and periodic call-up Kevin Cash was dealt back to Beantown Thursday afternoon, he seemed poised to resume familiar backup duties behind veteran catcher Jason Varitek.

During Boston’s 2007 Championship run, Cash spotted both Varitek and Doug Mirabelli—Tim Wakefield’s personal catcher—for 12 games in which he hit .111. Although the following season saw Cash raise his average to .225 as he assumed full-time the backup catching responsibilities formerly handled by Mirabelli, he was non-tendered by the Sox and eventually signed with the Yankees.

This week, as a fractured left thumb landed starting catcher Victor Martinez on the disabled list, Cash’s acquisition seemed a necessary step toward providing Varitek adequate backup behind the dish. Varitek would handle the starting job, and Cash would fall seamlessly into an organization he had already known quite well.

That was Thursday afternoon.

Thursday night it became abundantly clear—as Varitek limped through a charity event—that Cash himself might need backup before too long.

As it turns out, Varitek apparently broke his foot off a foul tip during Wednesday’s contest with the Tampa Bay Rays.

With Martinez and Varitek down to injury, Cash is now returning to Boston as the starting catcher. For the time being, Gustavo Molina has been activated to assume backup duties.

This writer, interestingly enough, had this to say about Molina during Spring Training: “At his best, Molina will spend the year with the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA), post career numbers, and receive a MLB call up only if better catchers drop like bloop singles before him.”

Better catchers have, indeed, dropped like dying quails and cleared the path for both Cash and Molina.

This season, Cash has batted .204/.333/.271 for the Astros, and Molina has hit .239/.418/.292 for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

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On the heels of another abysmal outing from staple lefty Hideki Okajima, who allowed a two-run jack over two-thirds of an inning Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox have signed former Chicago Cubs lefty Rich Hill to a minor-league contract.

The move comes one day after Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein told WEEI’s Alex Speier that he would prefer not to deal prospects to bolster the Red Sox faltering relief corp.

While RHP Daniel Bard has been dominant as closer Jonathan Papelbon’s setup man, the rest of the Red Sox pen has been relatively ineffective when compared to its past successes. Okajima has been particularly weak, posting a 5.81 ERA in 26.1 innings this year.

The 30-year-old Hill offers a low-risk, high-reward answer to at least one of the Red Sox’ many bullpen problems.

While the signing makes fiscal sense, it will take a significant turnaround for Hill to prove an effective option for Manager Terry Francona.

Hill hasn’t pitched more than passably since 2007, when he went 11-8 for the Chicago Cubs and posted a 3.92 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 195 innings.

Since that career year, Hill has bounced around between Chicago, Baltimore, and St. Louis and has pitched more and more ineffectively.

The Boston-born Hill has put up a 4.30 ERA over 46 innings for the Memphis Redbirds, St Louis’ Triple-A affiliate, this year.

He has held opponents to a .217 average and has struck out more than one batter per inning.

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Kansas City Royal outfielder David DeJesus has reportedly been on the block for some time now, and the injury-riddled outfield of the Boston Red Sox has been suggested as a possible destination.

Since the beginning of June, the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves have also been linked to trade discussions involving the 30-year-old DeJesus and his mere $4.7 million salary. However, Boston’s need is quickly eclipsing that of an offensively soft San Francisco squad and an unpredictable Atlanta club.

Not only has Boston lost its star left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to an injury that will keep him rehabbing in Arizona until after the All-Star break, but the Red Sox have also been deprived of utility outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who is out with cracked ribs.

Although right fielder J.D. Drew and center fielder Mike Cameron are active, they are both playing through injuries, and the bulk of the Fenway outfield is being patrolled by journeyman Darnell McDonald and rookie sensation Daniel Nava.

According to the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, the Red Sox front office is unquestionably testing the Kansas City trading waters.

That said, acquiring DeJesus could prove costly, as the Royals surely want to maximize their return on such an affordable and productive player whose 2011 club option comes in at only $6 million.

In 2010 DeJesus is posting career numbers, including a .320 average, an .864 OPS, and a 4.0 UZR/150 roaming all corners of the outfield.

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Jonathan Papelbon should be looking over his shoulder. At first considered the rock of the Red Sox bullpen, Papelbon is quickly eroding his own reputation and opening the door for the more consistent, if still more raw, Daniel Bard.

Still, despite certain trade rumors to the contrary, this writer is confident that Papelbon won’t be dealt this season.

That’s not to preclude a move as early as this offseason, particularly if Papelbon continues to struggle shutting the door. Indeed, rather than shortening games, Papelbon’s 2010 performances have begun shortening his career in Boston.

Yet, as nail-biting have been his appearances this year, Papelbon remains one of the elite closers in the game, and he and Bard have emerged as the only solid pieces in a fatigued and aging pen.

Hideki Okajima renders a shadow of his Championship self when he toes the rubber. Since his magical Rookie year as Daisuke Matsuzaka’s tag along, when Okajima posted a 2.22 ERA, Red Sox fans have watched with growing unease as that unexpectedly effective number has risen to an appalling 5.47 in 2010.

Manny Delcarmen, long more dominant early in the season than later, has already started to show his post-May colors. While his 2010 season ERA rests at a tidy 3.03, in June Delcarmen has been knocked around to a 7.36 mark. Over his career, Delcarmen has indeed become increasingly less effective as his innings mount, and if he follows that track, he could post a post-All-Star-break ERA in the neighborhood of 8.00.

After achieving a shocking level of excellence with his 2.84 ERA during the 2009 Red Sox campaign, former Rule 5 Draft pick Ramon Ramirez has regressed to his earlier, more disastrous days with the Rockies and now sadly owns a 4.88 ERA in 2010. Like Delcarmen, innings and late summer months are no friends of Ramirez, and he should only prove less effective as the many, many games roll by.

Thus, regardless of Jonathan Papelbon’s future as a major trade chip and Daniel Bard’s potential as the Sox’ next closer, the 2010 Red Sox are in serious need of relief if they are to contend down the stretch in the suddenly thickly contested American League East.

Now, according to MLBTradeRumors.com, Red Sox Assistant General Manager Ben Cherington commented on Sirius XM Radio that Boston will in fact be looking to upgrade its bullpen before the trade deadline.

Through a combination of team record, individual performance, franchise finances, and individual contract, these 20 relievers are the most attractive candidates to fill Boston’s currently Zombie-filled pen.

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Fans of all sports love a comeback, a return to greatness, a story of redemption.

This year, much has been made of Barry Zito’s new-found pitching poise, Vladimir Guerrero’s resurgent bat, and Vernon Wells’ revitalized swing, among other motivating stories.

Rightfully so, but these are relatively minor turnarounds compared to some of MLB’s true, claw-back-from-the-brink comeback stories.

Here are 10 of the top comebacks in MLB history.

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With the Boston Red Sox outfield decimated by injury, General Manager Theo Epstein and Manager Terry Francona looked to the Sox farm system for some short-term help this weekend.

Ready when opportunity knocked, OF Daniel Nava has hit .294 with an .856 OPS for the 2010 Pawtucket Red Sox, and on Saturday those numbers earned him a call to The Show.

After J.D. Drew hooked a homer off Joe Blanton around the Pesky Pole to lead off the bottom of the second inning, the scalding-hot Adrian Beltre followed it up with a base hit to right.

Jason Varitek then surprised everyone, especially a deeply situated Greg Dobbs at third base, by bunting for a base hit, and fan-favorite Darnell McDonald kept the line moving dumping a single in front of RF Jayson Werth.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, the switch-hitting Nava stepped into the left side of the batters box, took a hard practice swing, dug in, measured his bat, and promptly cranked the first pitch he saw into the Red Sox bullpen for a grand slam.

First game, first plate appearance, first at bat, first pitch, first swing, first hit, first home run, first grand slam.

Nava joins 105 batters in the history of the game who have homered in their first at bat and 24 who have done so on the first pitch.

More than that, Nava joins Kevin Kouzmanoff as the only other player in the history of baseball to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his first at bat.

Ironically, teammate Jeremy Hermida (2005) and Philadelphia player Bill Duggleby (1898) are the only other players to ever hit a grand slam in their first at bat, though not on the first pitch.

Welcome to Fenway, Daniel.

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The Red Sox have made some interesting and perhaps somewhat predictable draft selections so far in the fledgling 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Theo Epstein gambled on a future power hitter for the hot corner when he selected Kolbrin Vitek 20^th overall.

While a well-developed Vitek could succeed Adrian Beltre and internally help solve a partial power outage with youth and value, the 36th-picked Bryce Brentz could soon replace the aging J.D. Drew or the already aged Mike Cameron.

Some may have been surprised to witness Epstein draft a collegiate pitcher with the 39th pick since the Red Sox are replete with locked-up arms. However, buying low on the recently injury-derailed Anthony Renaudo presented far too high an upside for the Fenway front office to decline.

And “you can never have too much pitching.”

Yet, where will the Red Sox turn in round 2? Which thinning position will Epstein seek to restock next?

The bullpen can always use an upgrade, particularly this 2010 version—Hideki Okajima, Ramon Ramirez, and Manny Delcarmen are all shadows of their formerly filthy selves.

And let’s not forget the great Red Sox catching conundrum. While the beloved Jason Varitek is demonstrating he might make a viable backup backstop for another year or two, neither he nor Victor Martinez possesses the defensive prowess to consistently halt opposing runners’ relentless pursuits of second base.

Restocking the bullpen will probably consume most of the remaining 49 rounds, and one never knows how good a 20th-round arm might turn out, but it’s much tougher to find a great catch.

The Washington Nationals drafted catcher Bryce Harper No. 1 overall, but will probably convert him to an outfielder to accelerate his rise to the bigs.

The Cincinnati Reds seized Miami-standout Yasmani Grandal at No. 12, and the Red Sox passed on Canadian Kellin Deglan—who went 22nd to the Texas Rangers.

Shortly before the Sox’ second pick, the Tampa Bay Rays snatched Indiana’s Justin O’Connor with the 31st overall pick, and the Houston Astros selected Michael Kvasnicka out of Minnesota’s fertile catcher breeding ground.

The Red Sox now look ahead to the 57th overall pick—the seventh pick in round 2—and won’t pick again after that until the 110th spot.

If the Red Sox are going to pick a decent catcher, odds are it will have to be with their very next selection.

So who is available? Who might they go after should they pursue catching in round 2?

BaseballDraftReport.com ranks Louisiana State’s Micah Gibbs top among remaining collegiate catching prospects. The switch-hitting backstop was—among other accolades—named the 2009 ABCA Gold Glove catcher and manned the dish for the United States’ National Team during the 2008 World Championships. LSUsports.net claims that Gibbs has fittingly been “compared to Jason Varitek… for his defensive play.”

According to BaseballDraftReport.com’s scouting reports, Gibbs “has big raw power, especially from the left side” and has been “praised for his leadership far and wide,” while his “defense is beyond reproach.”

Them’s draftin’ words.

Should Gibbs be taken before the Red Sox can consider him, Villanova’s Matt Szczur ranks next, also according to BaseballDraftReport.com.

Szczur’s “plus arm, plus athleticism, rapidly emerging power… [and] championship pedigree” combine to suggest “a young man on the cusp of a long big league career.” Certainly a power-hitting catcher who can contain would-be base stealers should catch the Red Sox’ attention.

Whomever the Red Sox select at No. 57 he will perhaps stand as their last big pick of this year’s draft.

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The Boston Red Sox entered Monday’s 2010 First-Year Player Draft with three of the top 50 overall picks, and according to MLB Network analysts and other draft authorities, Theo Epstein & Co. acquired both some excellent collegiate talent and at least one potential headache.

After signing Type-A free agents John Lackey and Marco Scutaro, the Red Sox surrendered the 29th and 34th overall picks to the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively.

However, by offering arbitration to reliever Billy Wagner and outfielder Jason Bay, the Red Sox actually leapfrogged in the draft selection and acquired the 20th, 36th, and 39th overall picks.

Round 1: 20th Overall Pick

In the First Round—utilizing the 20th overall pick they earned when Type-A free agent and former Mets closer Billy Wagner signed with the Atlanta Braves—the Red Sox selected Ball State standout Kolbrin Vitek.

A second baseman, the Ohio-born Vitek bats right and is listed at 6’3”, 195 lbs. According to MLB Network’s Peter Gammons, the Sox plan to convert the potentially powerful Vitek into a third baseman—a position the Sox clearly needed to address looking beyond Adrian Beltre.

Known for near “perfect fundamentals” and a “great natural swing,” Vitek could round out an impressive Red Sox infield of the future should he live up to his potential and team up with Jose Iglesias, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis within the next few years.

In three years at Muncie’s Ball State, Vitek has batted .359 with 35 homers in 569 at bats. His .664 slugging percentage and .440 on-base percentage suggest that Vitek could become a patient and potentially powerful slugger.

Although he has pitched to the tune of a 4.71 ERA and a 13-8 record, Vitek does not project as a gunslinger at the professional level.

Sandwich Round: 36th Overall Pick

In the Sandwich—or Supplemental—Round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox picked twice, first at 36 overall.

With the 36th pick—acquired as compensation for the New York Mets’ signing of Jason Bay—the Red Sox selected Tennessee-native Bryce Brentz, who was ironically heavily scouted by none other than the Mets.

At 6’1” and 185 lbs, this Middle Tennessee State University outfielder projects with decent power, driven mainly by what MLB Network calls his “strong lower body.”

Originally drafted out of South Doyle High School by the Cleveland Indians during the 30th Round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Brentz has hit .348 with a .636 slugging percentage and a .440 on-base percentage this year.

With similar numbers to those of Kolbrin Vitek, Brentz and his selection start to paint a picture of a 2010 Red Sox organization intent on drafting some high-upside power hitting.

Sandwich Round: 39th Overall Pick

When the Atlanta Braves signed Billy Wagner, the Red Sox actually earned not just the 20th but also the 39th overall pick as compensation. That’s not a bad haul when one considers that the Red Sox merely sent journeyman outfielder Chris Carter to New York to acquire Wagner in what amounted to an ill-timed salary dump for the Metropolitans.

As the 39th pick arrived, the Red Sox must have counted both their blessings and pennies when they realized that former top-ranked pitcher and current Scott Boras client Anthony Renaudo remained on the board.

At one point, the towering Renaudo—he’s 6’7” and 230 lbs—was regarded as the best pitcher at the college level and was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 11th Round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

Renaudo remained so ranked until an elbow injury and a series of dramatically poor performances saw his standing plummet and his scouting reports grow increasingly uncertain.

Realizing that the previously dominant LSU hurler could fall significantly during this draft, Theo Epstein himself flew out to see him pitch, according to Gammons.

Should he regain his once unhittable form, Renaudo could prove a sagacious steal for the Red Sox’ front office.

However, Renaudo is represented by Scott Boras, and Boras may not be willing to accept 39th pick money for his slightly diminished client. Hammering out a deal could be tough if Boras and Epstein butt heads.

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For many fans of America’s pastime having an insight into the thoughts and daily lives of the players is highly coveted.

Knowing what Derek Jeter had for breakfast would make Brooklyn housewives feel as though they were in his Trump Tower kitchen.

Listening to Albert Pujols buy movie tickets might make the entire midwest stand stiller than it already stands.

These days many professional athletes tweet or otherwise offer up such personal thoughts, though they often come across as a little forced or disappointing.

Ron Artest actually befriends fans through twitter and recently bought two of them a pair of Finals tickets worth $18,000.

Yet we haven’t always been so connected. Imagine what it would be like to hear your favorite players’ thoughts on draft day.

Imagine that they tweeted and you could have known…

Here are 15 tweets I think draft-day participants might have tweeted if they could have.

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A converted infielder, 22-year-old catcher Josue Peley has been nothing to write home about offensively since being drafted in the 35th round of the 2006 Draft.

Joining the Red Sox organization on Memorial Day, when utility-outfielder Jonathan Van Every was returned to the Pirates, Peley appears like a throw in. That is, since neither Van Every nor Peley has any substantial value, this deal was essentially a body swap.

Van Every—one may recall—had previously been signed to a Minor League contract with Boston, had been released in July of 2009, had signed with Pittsburgh, and had been dealt back to Boston on April 24 of this year.

Over the past three years with the Pirates’ Single-A affiliates, Peley has batted just .205 in more than 400 at bats. For a hitter at the lowest of professional levels, that number is horrifying.

A Venezuelan by way of Montreal, Quebec, Peley isn’t much stronger with the glove than he is with the stick, and—according to SoxProspects .com—he projects as no more than a career Minor League backup catcher.

Peley has now been assigned to play for the Greenville Drive.

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