Papelbon slipped in the bullpen on Tuesday when he was warming up to go into the game. He said he had some tightness in his back and will not be available tonight.
"I'm not just going to push it tonight," he said. "I'll take the day off ... it's just tight."
Papelbon's back was wrapped in ice before Wednesday's game against the Angels. Daniel Bard would likely pitch tonight in a save situation.
Wakefield update
The door to manager Terry Francona's office closed around 5:25 p.m., and roughly 20 minutes later Wakefield and Dr. Thomas Gill emerged. Pitching coach John Farrell and general manager Theo Epstein also were present. Wakefield has a disc problem in his back, and surgery will be the only option for curing the pain.
The strength in Wakefield's legs have lessened since the injury first started bothering him, and the meeting before Wednesday's game was to determine whether it would be safe for Wakefield to continue to pitch.
"As of today, I can pitch," Wakefield said. "I'm throwing on the side on Friday and we'll see how I feel from there. And as of now, I'm pitching either Sunday or Monday."
The Red Sox announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka is pitching on Sunday, so that would leave Monday for Wakefield.
Youkilis update
Youkilis was out of the lineup for the second straight day with lower back spasms. He spoke to the media for the first time since going to the hospital on Monday with pain near his kidneys. Francona had told the media that Youkilis thought it might have been kidney stones.
"There [were] no kidney stones," Youkilis said. "It was one of those things -- it was in the kidney area. I never personally [thought it was kidney stones]."
Youkilis said he usually gets spasms once a year, and that it takes a few days for the discomfort to subside. He said he has the most trouble with rotating his back, using motion from side to side.
"I don't classify it as pain as much as spasms," he said. "It's just an uncomfortable feeling at times. Back spasms [are] just tightness -- it doesn't allow you to move in certain directions."
He said that there was no way he could play in Tuesday's game, and that he hopes to feel better by Thursday, but it's still day to day.
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Amy K. Nelson
Amy K. Nelson is an award-winning journalist who covers major league baseball for ESPN.com and is part of the site's Enterprise team. Follow her on Twitter.
