BOSTON — The 94-mph fastball Pablo Sandoval absorbed Tuesday night left him with nothing more than a sore knee.
Red Sox manager John Farrell confirmed after Boston’s 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers that the hit-by-pitch that forced his third baseman to leave the game did not cause any structural damage.
“He’s sore,” Farrell said. “You take mid-90s off the knee, it’s going to be a little sore. But there’s no (damage) structurally. He’s already had a scan — everything’s clean as far as that goes. Likely, he’s going to be sore. We’ll check him when he comes in (Wednesday).”
Sandoval went down in a heap after taking the Sam Freeman heater off the left knee during the seventh inning of Boston’s win. He was helped off the field and replaced on the basepaths by Brock Holt, who played the game’s final two innings at third base.
Sandoval said he doesn’t expect the injury to be a long-term issue, but he couldn’t yet commit to being healthy enough to play Wednesday night.
“It’s sore, yeah,” he said. “Right on the knee. … So far, so good. Nothing (broken) — that’s the good news. It’s going to be sore for a couple of days, so we’ll see if I can be out on the field.”
In other injury news, Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez came up limping during the seventh inning after an awkward slide into second base. Ramirez remained in the game after being examined by team trainers but was replaced in left field by Jackie Bradley Jr. heading into the ninth inning.
Farrell said that move simply was a precaution.
“Hanley on the double, with a late slide into second base, he jammed his left leg a little bit,” the manager said. “We just wanted to get him off his feet a little bit in the final inning.”
Ramirez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and one run scored in the ballgame.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
