FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Dave Wallace would watch quietly in spring training as his pitchers warmed up, then would make suggestions or perhaps say nothing.

The Boston Red Sox are expected to miss that gentle guidance for at least several months while their pitching coach recovers from right hip surgery, made necessary by an infection.

Wallace was in stable condition after the operation Thursday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Bullpen coach Al Nipper is filling in for the 58-year-old.

“He put together a good situation and had a good program in place, so I’m just trying to carry it out,” said Nipper, who pitched for Boston from 1983 through 1987. “I’m just keeping the seat warm right now for him.”

Wallace developed the hip infection about three weeks ago during his drive south for the start of spring training. The infection was related to a hip replacement he had about 10 years ago.

He became pitching coach on June 9, 2003, when Tony Cloninger stepped aside while undergoing treatment for bladder cancer – Cloninger currently is a minor league player development consultant for the Red Sox.

“I wouldn’t expect him to be back before the All-Star break,” right-hander Bronson Arroyo said.

“The infection he’s got is pretty tough to get rid of and because he already had one replacement there’s no blood flow in that area so it’s hard to knock it out.

“So it’s going to be basically take the hip out, knock out the infection, put a new one back in. That’s a lot of trauma on the body.”

Right-hander Matt Clement said manager Terry Francona informed the team early in spring training that Wallace would miss time.

“We’re going to miss him, but I think Nip’s definitely capable of doing the job,” Clement said. “All of us will be fine, but we’ll also be excited to get him back and have both their minds working.”

With many veteran pitchers, Wallace’s approach seems well suited to the team.

“It’s nice to have that familiarity, knowing how you should be looking and how you should be throwing the ball,” Arroyo said. “I personally enjoy a pitching coach who’s very laid back, very hands off for the most part, unless you have a problem.”

Wallace has spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting in 1981 as a coach at Class A Vero Beach. He was the Dodgers interim general manager in 2001 after spending three years in the New York Mets front office. His last job before joining Boston was senior vice president of baseball operations for the Dodgers.

Notes: Francona said Papelbon will start next Thursday night’s exhibition opener against Minnesota, with Curt Schilling pitching Friday afternoon against Boston College and Clement working Friday night against Northeastern. … LHP David Wells, recovering from knee surgery, played threw off flat ground.

AP-ES-02-24-06 1847EST