As a precaution, the Red Sox flew the outfielder back to Boston from Fort Myers to get his elbow examined. Crawford was already sidetracked with a wrist injury –– one he re-aggravated during bunting drills earlier in spring training –– that landed him on the 15-day disabled list.
“This was the week I was scheduled to play in some [minor league] games, so it was a little setback, but hopefully we’ll catch up,” Crawford said. “It’s a little strain, strained a little bit. I just had to work on it a little bit.”
Crawford expects to participate in minor league games next week, where he’ll receive some at-bats. His timetable to return to the Red Sox has been pushed back at least another week.
But Crawford insists there’s no connection between his wrist and the subsequent elbow soreness.
“It just kind of built up to it,” Crawford said. “It started with a little soreness, I tried to push through it and it got more sore and eventually it gets to the point where you can’t even stand it any more.”
There was a bright side to Crawford’s unexpected trip to Boston. The former Rays outfielder had an opportunity to catch up with teammates before Friday’s game and said he was anticipating the excitement surrounding Fenway Park’s 100th Opening Day.
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