Tag: rehab assignment

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall set to begin rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester next week

Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester next Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) prior to Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Duvall fractured his left wrist while attempting to make a diving catch on a sinking liner in Detroit on April 9 and has been sidelined ever since. Fortunately, the veteran slugger did not require surgery and is no longer wearing a cast or splint on his wrist.

Since having the cast removed earlier this month, Duvall has been building up strength in his left wrist while ramping up baseball activities on the field. It now appears as though the 34-year-old is ready to return to action, as he will join the WooSox for the start of their next series on the road against the Louisville Bats.

This milestone will represent a homecoming of sorts for Duvall, who hails from Kentucky and played his college baseball at Louisville. It remains to be seen how many minor-league games Duvall will need before being cleared to rejoin the Red Sox, though he told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo last week that his target date was June 9, which is when he is first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list.

Duvall signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Boston in January and had gotten his first season with the Red Sox off to a torrid start before getting hurt. In his first eight games, the right-handed hitter batted .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts over 37 plate appearances.

In Duvall’s absence, Jarren Duran has emerged as the Red Sox’ primary center fielder. Though he was among the hottest hitters on the team early on, the speedy 26-year-old is currently in the midst of an 0-for-19 slump at the plate dating back to last Saturday.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford impress in rehab outings for Triple-A Worcester

Two prominent members of the Red Sox pitching staff looked sharp in their respective rehab outings for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday night.

Garrett Whitlock got the start and Kutter Crawford came out of the bullpen for the WooSox in their series opener against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park. Whitlock allowed just on earned run on five hits and zero walks to go along with four strikeouts over four innings of work.

After stranding a runner at third base in the top of the first, the right-hander retired the side in order in the second and then gave up a solo home run to Jake Cave with two outs in the third. He ended his outing by working his way around a two-out double in a scoreless fourth inning.

Finishing with 49 pitches (35 strikes), Whitlock induced eight swings-and-misses. The 26-year-old hurler also sat between 92-95 mph with his sinker, 80-84 mph with his changeup, and 76-80 mph with his slider, per Baseball Savant.

“It was good,” Whitlock told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison-O’Day). “I’m happy with the outing and everything, throwing a lot of strikes, no walks, so I’m happy about that.”

Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis on April 25, just three days after he first felt his arm going numb from the elbow down “a couple of times” during his start against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

“For me it was when I got to full extension, everything kind of just went numb, that’s probably the best way to kind of describe it,” he explained on Tuesday. “But the nerves have calmed down, so we’re all good now. Everything felt normal tonight.”

Whitlock, who turns 26 next month, is on the injured list for the second time this season already. The righty began the year on the shelf as he continued to work his way back from right hip surgery last September. He is slated to make one more rehab start for the WooSox in their series finale against the IronPigs on Sunday.

Crawford, who is rehabbing a left hamstring strain he sustained on May 3, took over for Whitlock in the top of the fifth. Much like Whitlock, the right-hander yielded one earned run on three hits and zero walks with four strikeouts over three innings of relief.

After sitting down the first five batters he faced, Crawford served up a solo shot to Jordan Qsar with two outs in the sixth. He then maneuvered his way around a pair of hits in an otherwise clean seventh inning to ultimately pick up the winning decision in the WooSox’ 9-4 victory.

Crawford needed 41 pitches (26 strikes) to get through three innings of one-run ball. The 27-year-old induced eight whiffs while featuring a 92-96 mph four-seam fastball, an 86-88 mph cutter, an 81-84 mph slider, an 82-83 mph changeup, and a 78-81 mph curveball.

“Both had some balls that were hit good, but the wind was blowing out pretty firmly,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said. “I thought Whitlock looked great, landed his breaking ball for strikes, got ahead in the count. Fastball was good. Kutter was the same way they, both looked really good.”

Because Crawford’s stint on the 15-day injured list was backdated to May 4, he is eligible to come off the injured list this Friday, when the Red Sox open a three-game weekend series against the Padres in San Diego. Barring a surprise, Crawford is expected to travel and be with the club for the start of their nine-game West Coast road trip.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Brayan Bello impresses in rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, could be activated from injured list this weekend

Red Sox starter Brayan Bello pitched well in his rehab outing for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday night.

After tossing five innings in an extended spring training game down in Fort Myers last Wednesday, Bello faced more advanced competition in the Columbus Clippers on a warm evening at Polar Park.

Going six innings this time around, Bello allowed just one earned run on four hits, zero walks, and one hit batsman to go along with four strikeouts. That lone blemish came in the top of the fourth, when the right-hander served up a one-out solo shot to Clippers cleanup hitter Zack Collins.

Bello did not falter after giving up the home run, though. The 23-year-old instead retired seven of the last nine batters he faced and wrapped up his night by getting Collins to ground into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play in the sixth.

“I felt good,” Bello told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison-O’Day) through translator Jesus Quinonez of Telemundo. ““I was just trying to throw all the pitches in the strike zone, trying to throw quality pitches and everything went well.”

Finishing with a final pitch count of 81 (50 strikes), Bello induced nine swing-and-misses while mixing in a 94-97 mph sinker, an 86-89 mph changeup, an 82-86 mph slider, and an 81-83 mph curveball, per Baseball Savant. That curveball is a new pitch the righty has recently implemented into his arsenal.

“I felt my velo was good and I was also throwing a pitch that I’ve been practicing in the last couple days, a curve,” said Bello. “I feel good. My body feels good. I’m just trying to do the same work and try to rehabilitate well and try to put in the work so this doesn’t happen again.”

When mentioning “this,” Bello is presumably referring to the right forearm tightness that shut him down during the early stages of spring training and resulted in him starting the season on the 15-day injured list. Now that he is healthy, the Dominican-born hurler appears ready to make his return to the Red Sox’ rotation.

On that front, Bello said that while the decision will ultimately be made by the Sox, he believes he has made his last rehab start. As such, he will likely make his 2023 debut in this weekend’s series against the Angels at Fenway Park. If Boston were to give Bello an additional day of rest, he would be lined up to start opposite Shohei Ohtani for the first time on Marathon Monday.

Bello is not the only injured Red Sox starter who will be rehabbing with the WooSox this week. Left-hander James Paxton, who is working his way back from a right hamstring strain, will get the ball for Worcester on Friday.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock strikes out 8 in rehab start for Double-A Portland; righty is likely to be activated from injured list next Tuesday

Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock had his rehab assignment transferred from Triple-A Worcester to Double-A Portland on Thursday night.

After starting for the WooSox on Opening Day at Polar Park last week, Whitlock did the same for the Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field. Facing off against another Mets affiliate in the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this time around, the right-hander allowed just one run on one hit and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts over six strong innings of work.

Whitlock took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before giving up a leadoff home run to Rumble Ponies third baseman Luke Ritter. From there, he retired the last six batters he faced in order to get through six full frames. The 26-year-old hurler finished with 81 pitches (56 strikes) and was consistently in the low-90s with his fastball. He also induced 13 swings-and-misses as Portland went on to defeat Binghamton by a final score of 7-5.

“It was pretty good. Obviously, I would like to take one pitch back. Other than that, though, a decent outing,” Whitlock told Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald. “I’m feeling healthy. That’s the biggest thing, and ready to go.”

Between his stops in Worcester and Portland, Whitlock yielded two earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and 14 strikeouts across 10 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average against.

With two rehab starts under his belt, Whitlock now appears ready to rejoin the Red Sox’ rotation. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, the righty will more than likely make his season debut against the Rays at Tropicana Field next Tuesday, according to manager Alex Cora.

Before then, Whitlock said he plans on driving back to Boston on Thursday night before flying out to Detroit and joining the Red Sox for the remainder of their series against the Tigers this weekend.

Whitlock has been in the process of building back up after undergoing right hip surgery in September, which resulted in him getting a late start in spring training and beginning the season on the 15-day injured list. Because his stint on the injured list was backdated to March 27, April 11 (next Tuesday) is the earliest he can be activated.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock strikes out 6 in first rehab start for Triple-A Worcester

Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Friday afternoon.

Getting the Opening Day start for the WooSox as they went up against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park, Whitlock allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over four innings of work in an 11-2 win.

Whitlock’s bid for a no-hitter was short-lived, as he gave up a one-out double to Brett Baty in the top of the first inning. The right-hander then stranded Baty at second base by punching out the next two batters he faced in Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos.

After retiring the side in order in the second, Whitlock gave up back-to-back singles to Carlos Cortes and Danny Mendick to lead off the third. Cortes advanced to third when Baty grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and scored Syracuse’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Alvarez.

Whitlock left Alvarez at second by fanning Vientos for a second time. He then worked his way around a one-out Jonathan Arauz single and Khalil Lee walk in the fourth by striking out the last two Mets he faced in Lorenzo Cedrola and Cortes. Worces

Though he was scheduled to pitch into the fifth inning on Friday, Whitlock reached his pitch limit (75) in four, thus ending his outing earlier than anticipated. He threw 50 strikes and induced 12-swings-and-misses while mixing in his sinker, slider, and changeup.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the 26-year-old sat at 94 mph and topped out at 95 mph with his sinker out of the gate but saw his velocity tick down as the game progressed. By the top of the fourth, he was hovering around 91-92 mph, indicating that he is still working on building up stamina.

“It’s still just building the pitches up, continuing to work on everything and continue to sharpen the tools to be ready to go,” Whitlock told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Matt Vautour). “The backdoor slider was working really well. It’s just a matter of trying to get it glove side to righties or if I’m trying to back-foot it.”

Whitlock is building back up after undergoing right hip surgery in September, which resulted in him getting a late start in spring training and starting the season on the 15-day injured list. Because his stint on the injured list was backdated to March 27, the righty is not eligible to be activated until April 11 at the earliest.

As such, Whitlock is expected to make one more minor-league rehab start before re-joining Boston’s starting rotation. He will meet with the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday to determine where he will be pitching next. Worcester will be in Buffalo all of next week while Double-A Portland opens its season at home against Binghamton on Thursday night.

“Only time will tell on that,” Whitlock said of where his next assignment will be. “But stuff felt good today. I’m building volume, trying to sharpen the tools. My spring training just started a little bit later than everyone else’s. Just treating this as another spring training outing and keep going.

“I’ve been rebounding really well,” he added. “It’s just a matter of the medical staff telling me where to go next.”

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote top pitching prospect Bryan Mata to Triple-A Worcester, per report

The Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Bryan Mata to Triple-A Worcester, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. The right-hander is expected to make his first start for the WooSox in Tuesday’s series opener against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park.

Mata, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks second among pitchers in the organization behind only fellow righty Brayan Bello.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for just $25,000 as an international free-agent in January 2016, Mata was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020. The Maracay native seemed destined to make his major-league debut at some point during the 2021 campaign, but he wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery last April after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Thirteen months after going under the knife, Mata returned to the mound with a bang. The hard-throwing righty topped out at 100 mph with his four-seam fastball during an extended spring training start in May and was sent out on a rehab assignment shortly thereafter.

By early summer, Mata had gotten his feet between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, prompting a promotion to Double-A Portland on June 28. In 10 appearances (nine starts) for the Sea Dogs since then, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound hurler has posted a 1.85 ERA and 3.57 FIP with 58 strikeouts to 23 walks over 48 2/3 innings of work. That includes an ongoing stretch of 18 consecutive scoreless frames dating back to August 12.

Among Eastern League pitchers who — as of Sunday morning — have thrown at least 40 innings to this point in the year, Mata ranks 22nd in strikeout rate (29.4%), ninth in groundball rate (52.2%), 27th in batting average against (.202), second in ERA, 20th in FIP, and 13th in xFIP (3.57), per FanGraphs.

In addition to his high-octane four-seamer, Mata operates with a two-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. The curveball and slider are considered to be his two best secondary pitches.

Mata, who does not turn 24 until next May, could soon join Bello in making his major-league debut for the Red Sox. In the meantime, he becomes just the latest Boston pitching prospect to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season joining the likes of Bello, Chris Murphy, Brandon Walter, and Victor Santos, among others.

(Picture of Bryan Mata: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Trevor Story to begin rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Wednesday

Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora said before Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

Story has been sidelined since July 12, when he was hit in the right hand by an 89 mph sinker from Rays starter Corey Kluber. After X-rays came back negative, Story was diagnosed with a right hand contusion. The Red Sox were hopeful that he would avoid the injured list but placed him on the 10-day IL four days later.

Nearly two weeks after being placed on the injured list, Story began to swing a bat again. But the right-handed hitter still complained of discomfort and was unable to grip a bat properly. That prompted the Red Sox to send Story to get a second opinion from a hand specialist, who diagnosed the 29-year-old with a small hairline fracture near his right wrist.

Following that diagnosis, Story was shut down from swinging for 10-14 days. He resumed swinging earlier this month and progressed to the point where he was hitting off a tee before joining the Red Sox on their most-recent road trip last week.

While with the club in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, Story hit indoors off a high-velocity pitching machine. On Tuesday afternoon, he told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that he took batting practice on the field for the first time breaking his wrist.

With the WooSox on the road this week, Story will join the Sea Dogs in Portland for their series against the Hartford Yard Goats. Cora was not sure how many games or at-bats Story would need before being cleared to return to the Red Sox.

Story, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston in March, was batting .221/.289/.423 with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 49 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 28 walks, and 105 strikeouts over 81 games (342 plate appearances) at the time of his injury.

Coming into this season, Story had never played second base in his six seasons with the Rockies. Despite that lack of experience, the two-time All-Star currently ranks first among all American League second baseman in Defensive Runs Saved (8) and third in Outs Above Average (9), per FanGraphs.

Taking that into consideration, Cora indicated on Tuesday that once Story is back, “there’s a good chance” Christian Arroyo will slide over to first base after holding down the fort at second during Story’s absence.

(Picture of Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ James Paxton pulled from first rehab start after facing just 2 batters due to lat tightness

UPDATE: Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Eagle-Tribune’s Mac Cerullo) at PNC Park on Thursday that Paxton will be seeing a doctor on Friday. The team will know more after that.

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Red Sox left-hander James Paxton began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Thursday. His first start did not last long.

Starting for the FCL Red Sox in their contest against the FCL Rays at JetBlue Park, Paxton was forced to exit after facing just two batters due to left lat (latissimus dorsi muscle on the back) tightness, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Paxton was slated to pitch three innings on Thursday afternoon. It was his first start at any level since April 6 of last year, when — as a member of the Mariners — he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery one week later.

The Red Sox, per Cotillo, are optimistic that Paxton’s latest injury is a minor one. Boston signed the 33-year-old southpaw to a unique one-year, $6 million contract last December. The deal includes a two-year, $26 million option that the club can pick up at the end of the season. If they decline it, Paxton could then exercise a $4 million player option for the 2023 campaign.

Given that he started a rehab assignment on Thursday, August 18, Paxton could have been on track to make his Red Sox debut at some point in mid-September. With this latest setback, though, it remains to be seen if the Canadian-born lefty will be able to pitch this season.

As noted by Cotillo, it is still too early to determine if Paxton will need to be shut down from throwing due to this lat injury. On their end, the Red Sox have not yet said if Paxton will return to the big-leagues as a starter or reliever.

A veteran of nine major-league seasons between the Mariners and Yankees, Paxton has traditionally been a starter throughout his career. In his lone appearance for Seattle last April, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound hurler hovered around 92-96 mph with his four-seam fastball. He also works with a curveball, cutter, and changeup.

(Picture of James Paxton: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox’ James Paxton set to begin rehab assignment in Florida Complex League on Thursday

Red Sox left-hander James Paxton will make his organizational debut when he starts a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Thursday, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Paxton, per Speier, is slated to pitch three innings when the FCL Red Sox take on the FCL Rays at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers. It will be his first start at any level since April 6 of last year.

Then a member of the Mariners, Paxton tore his left ulnar collateral ligament in the second inning of his start against the White Sox. He underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery one week later.

Boston signed the 33-year-old southpaw to a unique one-year, $6 million contract last December. The deal includes a two-year, $26 million club option that the Red Sox can pick up at the end of the season. If they decline, Paxton could then exercise a $4 million player option for the 2023 campaign.

While injuries have hindered him throughout his big-league career, Paxton has proven to be an effective starer when healthy. With the Yankees in 2019, for instance, the Canadian-born hurler posted a 3.82 ERA and 3.86 FIP with 186 strikeouts to 55 walks over 29 starts spanning 150 2/3 innings of work. He has been limited to just six outings since then because of injury.

It remains to be seen how many rehab appearances Paxton will need before he is able to join the Red Sox’ starting rotation. Last year, fellow lefty Chris Sale made five starts across three levels while rehabbing from Tommy John before making his season debut for Boston on August 14.

Using that same sort of template, Paxton could potentially be back in the majors by early September, though that is no sure thing. In the meantime, it should be interesting to see how Paxton responds as he returns to competitive action. Last April, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder sat between 92-96 mph with his four-seam fastball. He also traditionally works with a curveball, cutter, and changeup.

When the time comes for the Red Sox to activate Paxton, they will presumably need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster since he has been on the 60-day injured list since March.

(Picture of James Paxton: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Trevor Story swings bat for first time since suffering right hand contusion

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story swung a bat on Sunday.

Story has not appeared in a game since July 13 after taking an 89 mph sinker from Corey Kluber off his right hand on an awkward swing at Tropicana Field the night before. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with a right hand contusion and X-rays on said hand came back negative.

Boston placed Story on the 10-day injured list on July 16, retroactive to July 14. Prior to Sunday’s milestone taking place, the right-handed hitting infielder had been limited to just tracking pitches in the batter’s box.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) ahead of Sunday’s 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed optimism when providing an update on Story’s status.

“He swung today,” said Cora. “A lot better. So we’ll see how he reacts during the day and hopefully, at some point this week, he’ll be OK. But he swung today. He swung early. So things are trending in the right direction.”

While Cora indicated that Story could return to the fold in the coming days, he could not give a definitive answer when asked if the two-time All-Star will require a rehab assignment prior to getting activated off the injured list.

“We’ll talk about it,” Cora said.

Story, meanwhile, is itching to get back at it. In the first year of the six-year, $140 million deal he signed with Boston in March, Story is currently batting .221/.289/.423 (93 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 49 runs scored, 28 walks, and 105 strikeouts over 81 games (342 plate appearances). He has also provided the Sox with exceptional defense at second base (positive-8 defensive runs saved), a position the ex-Rockie never played at the major-league level prior to this season.

“I feel much better and just rehabbing around the clock. The whole time trying to get better,” Story explained to The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams on Sunday. “Definitely moving in the right direction. Once I can get [the hand] going and let it rip without crazy soreness, then that will be good. I just have been playing around with the bat just because it’s hard for me to stay away from it.”

(Picture of Trevor Story: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)