BOSTON — Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright has yet to fully recover from the concussion that landed him on the seven-day disabled list Saturday.
“Steven is doing OK,” acting Red Sox manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday afternoon, adding that Wright failed a balance test. “I know that his day of eligibility is coming up here, but he is experiencing some symptoms still. And with the protocol through Major League Baseball, we can’t rush that process. He’s working daily to improve.”
Lovullo said he has yet to determine who will make Wright’s next scheduled start this Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. Wright remains an option, he said, as does right-hander Matt Barnes.
Barnes made his first major league start Monday for the Sox, allowing six runs in five innings in an 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
“At this point, we haven’t quite determined that,” Lovullo said. “Obviously, our rotation all the way up until that next five days from now is determined. But we feel like Matt threw the ball well enough, and if Steve is not ready, I think that’s a direction we would consider.”
Lovullo’s news conference before Tuesday’s matchup with the Indians was chock full of noteworthy items. Here are a few others:
— Asked whether Hanley Ramirez has put in any behind-the-scenes work at first base, Lovullo reiterated for the second time in two days that left field is where the defensively challenged slugger will stay.
“We’re not hiding anything and we want to be as transparent as possible,” Boston’s interim skipper said. “No, he’s not getting any type of work at first base at this point. Hanley Ramirez is our left fielder and we’re going to stay with that.
“We’re going to try and get him the necessary work and necessary reps and necessary innings out there to get him to the point he feels comfortable and we become a championship defense in the outfield. It takes time. He’s a converted infielder and it’s a tough process. He’s further from the ball and moving and traveling at different angles and I feel comfortable saying Hanley is doing the right thing, working as hard as he can to make it happen as fast as he can.”
— Injured right-hander Rick Porcello will make his second rehab start Friday at Triple-A Pawtucket, per Lovullo. If all goes well, he could rejoin the big club at some point during its upcoming six-game road trip, which begins next Monday in Chicago.
— John Farrell underwent his first round of chemotherapy treatment Tuesday. Lovullo said he hadn’t spoken to the manager since the procedure, but that he wouldn’t be shocked if Farrell followed it up with an unannounced appearance at Fenway Park.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up here (Tuesday),” Lovullo said. “Just knowing his personality.”
— Red Sox utility man Brock Holt was one of several Boston athletes to stop by the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on Tuesday. After his interview, Holt apparently decided to take an electronic skateboard for a spin through the Fenway concourse.
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— Speaking of the Jimmy Fund, Lovullo touched on what he’s learned about the foundation since arriving in Boston ahead of the 2013 season.
“I’ve come in here as a visiting player several times, and you don’t really know what it means until you get here and you just see that it’s a special bond that the Boston Red Sox have with the Jimmy Fund,” he said. “The reason why it’s special is because we know the doctors, we know the researchers, we know the kids, we know the process and we know where the money goes. And it’s such a great cause.”
— In non-Red Sox news, the Indians mixed things up a bit during their pregame warmups Tuesday by adding some pigskin to the proceedings.
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Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
