BOSTON (AP) – Justin Masterson could be a valuable member of Boston’s starting rotation in the future. He could be a strong option in the Red Sox bullpen.

For Boston manager Terry Francona, it’s a nice dilemma to have.

“I think we see him as a good pitcher,” Francona said before the Red Sox hosted the Los Angeles Angels in Game 4 of their AL division series Monday night. “I think he could start. He’s already proven that to some extent in the major leagues even though it’s been a small sample size.”

In his first major league start on April 24, Masterson allowed one run and two hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss to the Angels. The right-hander faced that same team Sunday night in the postseason and threw a 96 mph fastball past Vladimir Guerrero for an inning-ending strikeout with a runner on first and the game tied in the eighth.

Masterson also pitched a scoreless ninth before the Angels won 5-4 in 12 innings, cutting Boston’s lead to 2-1 in the series.

In nine starts this season after being recalled from Double-A Portland, Masterson went 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA. In his next 27 appearances, all in relief, he was 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA. He worked out of the bullpen in each of the first three postseason games, allowing one earned run in 3 1-3 innings.

His future role “will be determined on how we feel he can impact us more,” Francona said. “What direction it goes will be interesting and we don’t have that answer yet.”

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BEAST OF THE EAST: The Rays are headed to the AL championship series, and manager Joe Maddon said part of the reason is their tough division.

“People, when I first came along, said we should get out of the American League East. I’m asking why,” Maddon said. “What better battle testing can you possibly get than going to Fenway often and going to Yankee Stadium, and of course, Baltimore and Toronto.”

Tampa Bay, which never won more than 70 games during its 10 previous seasons, went from 96 losses last year to 97 wins. The Rays finished two games ahead of Boston to win the division title and could meet the Red Sox in the next round.

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QUENTIN HITS AGAIN: Injured White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin took batting practice for the second straight day and did some throwing work as well. Quentin said his injured wrist is about “75 to 80” percent and that he felt especially good throwing in the outfield.

There was some hope Quentin would be able to return in the ALCS but the White Sox were eliminated by the Rays in the first round.

“Yesterday it felt great and today I threw long before BP, and it felt really good,” Quentin said, noting his soreness usually disappears shortly after starting a workout.

Most of Quentin’s drives stopped at the warning track as he hit with the last group. Quentin was a top MVP candidate in his first season with Chicago, hitting 36 homers – one off the AL lead – despite breaking a bone in his right wrist in a display of anger on Sept. 1.

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WISE MOVE: White Sox outfielder DeWayne Wise made a good impression in the postseason after bouncing around trying to secure a spot in the majors in previous years.

Although he misplayed a line-drive double by Tampa Bay’s Cliff Floyd in Game 4 and was 0-for-2, he batted .286 with five RBIs in the series and came up big the previous day. He hit a two-run double and scored a run Sunday as the White Sox beat the Rays 5-3 to avoid a three-game sweep.

“I have a lot of family and friends that always bring it up,” he said before Chicago’s season-ending loss Monday night. “They’re always saying things like ‘look at the offseason you had and look where you are now.’ It’s a blessing.”

Wise spent parts of five seasons with Toronto, Atlanta and Cincinnati but never really was able to nail down a spot in the majors.

The White Sox signed him as a minor league free agent in March and purchased his contract from Triple-A Charlotte on May 22, only to designate him for assignment nine days later. Manager Ozzie Guillen implored him to accept the move rather than become a free agent because there was a role for him in Chicago, and Wise did just that.

The White Sox brought him back on June 19, and he wound up hitting .248 in 57 games while playing regularly late in the season.

“It’s been a rough ride for me the last couple years with injuries and stuff like that,” said Wise, a career .214 hitter. “But, you know, I stayed positive at the same time, just kept working hard and now I’m here in Chicago.”

AP-ES-10-06-08 2232EDT