Rehabbing Red Sox Infielder Suffers Setback Delaying Recovery

The rehab assignment for Boston Red Sox infielder Yu Chang has not gone as planned.

Chang, who broke the hamate bone in his left wrist just over a month ago, was scheduled to play in his second rehab game with Double-A Portland on Saturday, but didn’t make that scheduled appearance, according to The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. Abraham reported Chang is returning back to Boston for treatment.

This comes after Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters earlier this week that Chang had his first rehab game pushed back two days due to soreness in his wrist.

“So he asked for like two extra days,” Cora told reporters per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “So let’s see how it goes and hopefully he can start one over the weekend.”

Chang was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his one game with Portland. Abraham noted the 27-year-old is expected to rejoin Portland for its road series against the Somerset Patriots starting Tuesday.

After a torrid World Baseball Classic, Chang is only batting .136 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 17 games with the Red Sox. But he does give Boston depth in the middle of the infield, especially with Trevor Story, Christian Arroyo and Adalberto Mondesi suffering injuries. The rash of injuries forced the Red Sox to turn to prospect Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes to fill the void.

There’s still no clear timeline for Chang’s return to the big leagues, but the Red Sox will probably have to wait longer for him to come back than originally expected.