The Red Sox are still waiting on several familiar names as the second half gets going, and interim manager Chad Tracy laid out a mixed bag of injury updates before Friday’s Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Some of the news pointed toward progress. Some of it sounded a lot less encouraging.
Garrett Crochet remains the biggest concern. The left-hander has been out since April 25 with left shoulder inflammation and a lat strain, and Tracy said there still hasn’t been any meaningful movement in his recovery. Crochet has not thrown a baseball since landing on the injured list.
“Garrett, there’s no change," Tracy said. "He’s still doing a lot of work to strengthen the rotator cuff, so there’s no change as far as when he’s going to throw yet.”
Crochet addressed the injury in a candid conversation with WEEI’s Rob Bradford on t he Baseball Isn't Boring podcast, saying the downtime has been difficult but necessary.
“We're in it right now, so it's tough that I'm kind of sitting on my hands. But I also feel like it's the right thing for the Boston Red Sox as well as myself,” Crochet said.
“That was part of it to begin with. Selfishly, I wanted to get back because I wanted to help the team.
“The team has clearly shown that they can survive and thrive. Now that we're coming back into it, I'm able to take a step back and think, 'How can I help the team?'
Full transparency, I was not throwing the ball well before going on the IL. I felt like I was turning a corner, but in order for me to help the team, I gotta be healthy.”
Ranger Suarez, by contrast, appears to be moving in the right direction. He hasn’t pitched since July 5 because of a groin injury, but Tracy said the left-hander is expected back in Boston’s rotation next week and won’t need a rehab assignment. Suarez is eligible to come off the injured list on Tuesday, though Tracy said the club may give him an extra day or two.
Roman Anthony is also making some headway, even if he’s not back to swinging yet. The outfielder has been out since May 4 with a torn ligament and a partially torn tendon in his right ring finger/wrist, and he was sent to Fort Myers, Fla. to keep working through rehab. Tracy said Anthony is feeling a little better, but still isn’t swinging a bat.
Trevor Story’s recovery is also advancing. The shortstop had sports hernia surgery in May and is now back to hitting while increasing his fielding work, according to Tracy. The initial recovery window was 8-12 weeks, and Story has now reached the eight-week point.
Connelly Early’s situation looks more manageable than it first seemed after he exited his June 30 start with an elbow issue. A second opinion showed elbow inflammation and irritation rather than anything more serious, and Tracy said Early resumed throwing during the All-Star break.
"Connelly threw at the tail end of the break, which is good. He’s gonna throw 75 feet today, 90 feet tomorrow," Tracy said.
"We’ll just keep, as he increases distance, read and react to how he’s feeling. That’s a good sign."
The Red Sox also got an update on Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Marcelo Mayer, who both went down with similar forearm injuries last month. Tracy said both players are scheduled to have X-rays early next week to monitor their progress.
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