09:21 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 18, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

OAKLAND -- Three weeks after he was forced from the mound because of a foot injury, David Wells will start for the Sox this afternoon in the final game of their West Coast trip.

Officially, the Red Sox were noncommital about today's starter, and the team's daily notes still listed Jeremi Gonzalez as the scheduled starter. But it was a poorly kept secret that Wells would be returning, activated from the DL.

In a sense, Wells' return was ahead of schedule. When he came out of the game April 26 against Baltimore and was diagnosed with plantar fascitis, doctors said it would be three weeks before he could resume baseball activity.

"The night it happened," said manager Terry Francona, "I remember thinking, 'This might not be too good.' I was concerned. But when the doctors sat down and talked to us about it, (the prognosis) wasn't too bad."

Francona praised Wells for his work ethic during his rehab, noting that he was often at the ballpark before his scheduled treatments.

Meredith to PawSox

When Wells is activated today, the Sox will need to make a corresponding roster move. They'll return rookie reliever Cla Meredith to Pawtucket, some 10 days after he was surprisingly summoned to help out a depleted pitching staff.

Arroyo drops appeal

As expected, Bronson Arroyo decided to drop the appeal of his six-game suspension. He began serving his suspension last night and will return to the active list May 25 -- a week from today -- in Toronto. Arroyo was suspended for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on April 24.

Arroyo chose this time because the Sox have two off-days in the next six, allowing the other four starters to get extra rest between starts.

"It pushes him back a little," Francona said of Arroyo's suspension, "but we don't have to [mess] up our rotation."

Arroyo cited the timing as an incentive and also expressed doubt that he could get the suspension reduced upon appeal.

"Best-case scenario," Arroyo said, "I don't think (MLB) would lower it even a day. I think five days would have been sufficient -- that's one turn through the rotation. But I guess they want to make sure I miss one (start)."

Arroyo was prohibited from being in the dugout or clubhouse during last night's game. He planned to have dinner in the area with his agent.

With Arroyo gone, the Sox have decided to keep Gonzalez around to provide multiple innings out of the bullpen.

A chance for Payton

With lefty Barry Zito starting for Oakland last night, Trot Nixon got the night off and Jay Payton played right field, getting his 15th start in the first 39 games.

Payton had struggled before last night. After getting off to a hot start, hitting .357 (5-for-14) in his first seven games with the Sox, he had slumped of late, hitting only .160 (8-for-50) in the last 20 games.

"It's an adjustment, going five or six days without playing, then playing once and getting an oh-for," Francona said. "But he's handled it terrific. I know he doesn't like (playing only occasionally), but he's accepted it. I wouldn't want him to like it."

Around the bases

Mike Myers' loss Monday night was his first since April 21, 2004 -- also, ironically, against Oakland -- ending a streak of 79 consecutive appearances without a defeat. . . . The loss Monday marked the third time in the last seven days that the A's and Sox had played a game that was determined in one club's final at-bat. The Sox had back-to-back walk-off homers on May 10-11 at Fenway, and Oakland snapped a 4-4 tie in the home half of the eighth inning Monday night.