Two of the bigger injury concerns right now center around outfielder Carl Crawford and pitcher Clay Buchholz.
Crawford sat out again on Thursday against the Royals with an elbow issue. The outfielder just recently returned from the disabled list after suffering a hamstring injury and was finding his stride at the plate.
As he told NESN's Heidi Watney prior to Thursday's game at Fenway Park, though, he injured his left elbow while playing long toss recently. He didn't say exactly when the injury occurred, but did mention that it's been nagging him, and it got to the point where he needed a cortisone shot.
However, Crawford did say that he expected to be in the lineup on Friday, something that was backed up by the fact that he was healthy enough to pinch hit on Thursday afternoon in the ninth where he almost hit a walk-off home run. Still, the Sox probably can't afford for Crawford's elbow to get any worse, as he'll likely be a vital part of a stretch run, especially if he hits like he did upon his return from the DL for his hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, there seems to be an update on Clay Buchholz every day and more often than not, the update is that there's no update. The Sox seem to be a bit uncertain as to what they're dealing with when it comes to the right-hander's back, something that is evidenced by the fact that he's already had multiple opinions on it.
Regardless of what the final diagnosis will actually be, the fact remains that Buchholz hasn't set foot on the mound in a game since June 16. His health will go a long way in not only determining Boston's final fate, but in the near future, his status will likely dictate what the team decides to do at Sunday's trade deadline.
