A pair of Red Sox pitchers are taking their next steps in rejoining the team.
Before Boston took on the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Saturday, manager Alex Cora spoke to reporters and revealed the rehab assignments for pitchers Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello.
The former began the 2023 Major League Baseball season on the injured list retroactive to March 27 as he continues to recover from hip surgery. He was the Worcester Red Sox’s Opening Day starter Friday, and Cora told reporters he will be the Portland Sea Dog’s Opening Day starter next Thursday, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
The rehab start “most likely, that will be his last one,” according to Cora, per Speier.
Bello is recovering from forearm tightness suffered during spring training, and he also started the season on the injured list. The right-hander will join Whitlock in Portland next week, according to Cora, per Speier.
If all goes well in their rehab assignments, the duo should return to Boston’s pitching staff by mid-April.
In the meantime, Chris Sale is scheduled to make his 2023 debut Saturday. First pitch is scheduled at 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game on NESN, along with an hour of pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m.
