BOSTON -- With the addition of Paul Byrd to the Red Sox’ starting rotation, rookie Clay Buchholz (2-8, 6.32 ERA) will probably be sent back to Pawtucket to continue his development. He threw a side session at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon and met with Francona afterward to discuss the situation. The manager said a decision won’t be made until today.

Said general manager Theo Epstein during a news conference yesterday afternoon, “By no means are we giving up on Clay Buchholz — far from it. We still think he’s going to be a huge part of our future, and may well prove to be an important part of our present. With that said, we think this move gives us the freedom to do the right thing in our rotation, rather than forcing people into roles because of injury. We’ll see how things play out but, by no means, is Clay Buchholz out of our picture.”

Buchholz was torched Sunday in Chicago for five runs on seven hits in only three innings of work. Francona said Buchholz had a “great day” Monday and another one yesterday.

“This kid is important to us,” manager Terry Francona said. “There are a lot of reasons why you invest in young kids at the big leagues. He’s not a quitter and he battles. Things aren’t going as smoothly as you always want them, but it’s going to get better.”

jmcdonal@projo.com