UPDATE, 10:15 p.m..: Red Sox manager John Farrell said after Saturday’s game that shortstop Stephen Drew will be available for Sunday’s series finale against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.
BOSTON — Stephen Drew and the Red Sox have arrived at a key point in the shortstop’s recovery from a right oblique injury.
Drew took batting practice and participated in defensive work before Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. He’ll now be reevaluated, after which the Red Sox will make a decision on whether he’ll undergo an MRI and potentially head to the disabled list. Drew is optimistic about his progress, though he was hesitant to label himself 100 percent after participating in Saturday’s workout.
“So far, it’s pretty good,” Drew said while walking off the field. “I’m still working through things, I’m going to test some other things out and go from there.”
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Drew will miss his sixth straight game Saturday after suffering an oblique injury in Sunday’s series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The 31-year-old is 1-for-14 with five strikeouts in four games since returning to the Red Sox.
“(I’m) taking more swings day by day, and that’s a good thing,” said Drew, who aggravated his ailing oblique during BP before Wednesday’s game in Baltimore. “Take it slow and I have to do some more things and make it game speed-like and we’ll go from there.”
Red Sox manager John Farrell called Saturday’s workout Drew’s “biggest test to date.”
