Boston Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten began a rehabilitation outing on Tuesday.
Slaten hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since May 28. He was placed on the injured list following that outing with a shoulder injury. It was later revealed that he had an issue with his neck that required surgery.
On Tuesday, he pitched one inning for Triple-A Worcester. He faced three batters and struck out all three on 15 pitches. While the results were great, there’s some reason to believe he’ll need at least one more outing before returning to the Red Sox.
His fastball isn’t one of those reasons. He topped out at 97.6 mph and averaged 96.3 mph. That’s slightly below his season average, but not enough for the Red Sox to be concerned, especially over a sample of five pitches.
His breaking pitches weren’t as sharp, though. His curveball dropped four fewer inches on average, while his sweeper had two fewer inches of horizontal movement. It’s a small sample and could be due to differences in the ball between Triple-A and the big leagues, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
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The Red Sox bullpen badly needs help. The bottom of the bullpen has been churned recently, as the team looks for another reliable arm. If Justin Slaten can return to the bullpen, he’ll bump everyone down a spot and give Alex Cora an additional late-inning option.
Featured image via Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images
