Despite the Boston Red Sox’s tremendous start to the season, they are dealing with their fair share of injuries.
Xander Bogaerts is chief among them, given the shortstop was clubbing the ball prior to getting hurt April 8. However, he’s supposed to be activated Friday.
But also out are pitchers Steven Wright and Tyler Thornburg.
Before Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics, Sox manager Alex Cora provided updates on both pitchers.
Wright exited his first rehab start in Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday with back stiffness. Though he only threw 2 2/3 innings by the time he left, he already had tossed 61 pitches, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.
“He didn’t feel right the whole outing,” Cora said of Wright, via MLB.com. “Most likely, we’ll keep him there, for now, in Pawtucket, but hopefully he gets better and he can make his next one.”
Once Wright is activated off the disabled list, he will have to serve a 15-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.
The news on Thornburg is far more promising.
Since being acquired ahead of the 2017 season from the Milwaukee Brewers for Travis Shaw, the reliever has yet to make a regular-season appearance for the Red Sox due to a shoulder injury.
He’s been taking part in an extended spring training at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., and now having shown good progress, will fly up to Boston this week to pitch a live batting practice.
“Let’s get him out of Fort Myers,” Cora said. “There’s a few people in Fort Myers that are going nuts right now. He’ll go up there, be around us, and we’ll go from there.”
While that doesn’t narrow down any specific timetables for either player for a return to MLB action, it still provides a little direction in their recovery process.
