Two days before he missed a start because of stiffness in his right lat muscle, Boston Red Sox starter Josh Beckett was playing golf, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine addressed the report before Wednesday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.

"I haven't talked to Josh about this yet, so I'm not sure I can really comment on it other than I can say physical issues, I guess, he had a sore lat," Valentine said. "He wasn't an injured player. I know that. And we'll take it from there. But I'm sure Josh wouldn't do anything that's going to jeopardize his team or his season. I know that."

Beckett flew back to Boston on Wednesday and was unavailable to meet with the media. He is scheduled to start on Thursday.

According to the report, teammate Clay Buchholz was golfing with Beckett on Boston's off day. Buchholz declined to comment before Wednesday's game.

Beckett hasn't pitched since April 29, when he threw 126 pitches against Chicago. Last Wednesday, the day before Beckett reportedly was spotted on the links, Valentine announced the right-hander would miss his start -- scheduled for Saturday -- with stiffness in his lat muscle. Beckett later admitted that the injury existed before the start against the White Sox.