Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Boston's 4-1 win over the Rays on Saturday. He's made three straight scoreless appearances.
Red Sox manager John Farrell will have to rely on Barnes as he attempts to manage the turbulence in a bullpen that's been hit with injuries to Junichi Tazawa (shoulder) and Craig Kimbrel (knee). Farrell has recently shown more faith in Barnes, who has whittled his ERA from 3.64 to 2.93 over the last 10 appearances (14 strikeouts, two walks, 12.1 innings). He may be able steal a save opportunity during the time Kimbrel is on the DL (3-to-6 weeks), but the Red Sox will settle for keeping Barnes' walks down and providing stability in a setup role.