PHILADELPHIA — Saturday’s forecast in the Bronx calls for knuckleballs.
Steven Wright will start for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, manager John Farrell said before Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Joe Kelly, who was the other candidate to receive the nod, will start Saturday at Single-A Greenville.
Kelly dealt with biceps soreness in spring training and has been brought along slowly ever since. There was a chance he’d be activated off the 15-day disabled list in time to make Saturday’s start against the Yankees, but the Red Sox decided to go with Wright so that Kelly can work his way up to near 100 pitches before making his regular-season debut.
Kelly threw 78 pitches over five innings in an intrasquad game Monday in Fort Myers, Fla. Wright threw 94 pitches over six innings that day.
Closer Koji Uehara, who is on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury, looked sharp while throwing a live BP, according to Farrell. He’s scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen for Greenville on Saturday.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
