The Boston Red Sox’s slow crawl to game No. 162 continues.
The Red Sox, sitting 19 games under .500 (64-83), are banged up with 15 contests remaining on their 2014 schedule. It’s reflected in their daily lineup card, which has become increasingly difficult for manager John Farrell to fill out in recent weeks.
Dustin Pedroia’s season officially ended Thursday when the second baseman underwent successful left thumb/wrist surgery. There’s not an exact timetable for Pedroia’s recovery, but the 31-year-old told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford he felt “great” after undergoing the procedure.
Below are a few other injury updates offered by Farrell before Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
— Brock Holt was diagnosed with a concussion.
Holt’s concussion stems from a collision he had with Pedroia during an Aug. 25 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Everything checked out OK immediately following the collision, adding to the strange nature of the injury.
Holt and his wife recently battled illness, but the utility man still experienced symptoms in line with a concussion after overcoming the sickness. He was sent to a concussion specialist in Pittsburgh on Thursday, at which point he was diagnosed with a concussion.
Holt, who has missed the last seven games, rejoined the Red Sox in Kansas City on Friday. He’s not cleared to play, but Farrell is hopeful the injury is not season-ending.
“At least at this point, we do expect him to get back on the field before the year is done,” Farrell told reporters. “But we’ve got to take every precautionary measure prior to that.”
— David Ortiz is day to day with a sore foot.
Ortiz fouled a ball off his right foot during an Aug. 24 game against the Seattle Mariners. The slugger initially thought he broke his foot, but the injury proved to be a minor hiccup in Ortiz’s sensational season.
— Mike Napoli also is day to day. He has been dinged up with various ailments (finger, toe, etc.) for basically all of 2014.
