Righthander Justin Slaten felt helpless when the Red Sox went 1-5 during their trip to Los Angeles and Colorado following the All-Star break. This was especially true after watching his club lose three games in which it led in the eighth inning or later.
It’s hard to say if the rookie, who was placed on the disabled list the Sunday before the break because of inflammation in his right elbow, could have made a difference in the result had he been in the starting lineup. Slaten (5-2, 3.38 ERA, 26% strikeout, 5% walk) was certain, though, that he could not influence things from hundreds of miles away.
It’s awful. Of course, I’m sitting in my Boston apartment while they’re fighting over on the West Coast. It aches to watch the sports,” Slaten remarked. When you’re watching the game on the West Coast at 1:30 in the morning from your Boston apartment, it might be difficult to feel like a member of the team at times. Reaching that position mentally is a fight in and of itself.
At first, Slaten and the Sox were hoping that his 15-day minimum stay on the injured list would be enough. But his recuperation progressed too quickly for that. However, Slaten has shown noticeable progress lately when playing catch on the field. He is getting close to the point where he will begin to throw bullpen sessions off a mound, which is a prelude to a rehab assignment and return. However, there is no set timeline for his return.
“Hopefully sooner rather than later, things will start kind of ramping up for us,” Slaten stated. “It will be better for me and the team if I can get to the point where I miss only a few games here than if we try to push it too fast and I miss the rest of the season.”
Homes in the neighborhood are spread out
Due to rib cartilage tears, first baseman Triston Casas has missed more than three months of action. He has begun indoor batting practice. With a couple more steps to add to his regimen (hitting off a high-speed machine and simulating big league arsenals from the team’s Trajekt machine), the team hopes he may begin a rehab assignment by late next week, depending on how he handles the extra effort.
Alex Cora, manager of the Sox, stated, “He feels good, much better than a few weeks ago, which is awesome.” “He is moving in the right path.”
Casas hasn’t played in a half-season, so it’s reasonable to question if the Sox will need to use him for a longer period of time in rehab before activating him. The group believes Casas will be the main one dictating the length and tempo of his stay in the minor leagues.
“His comfort level will be a big factor in that,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow stated. “I believe that those discussions between [Cora], the medical team, Triston, and myself will decide [how long a rehab assignment is].” However, when he tells us he’s ready, we will need to rely on him to some extent.
depth charge
Similar to Slaten, righthander Chris Martin has improved recently while practicing catch and is also on the IL due to elbow soreness. Breslow hinted that both pitchers might be ready for a bullpen session soon. Oh dear… Left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle, a second-round selection, and two-way player Conrad Cason, an eighth-round selection, were both at Fenway Park, indicating that both players are, in Breslow’s words, “at the 1-yard line” of concluding their deals. A number of Red Sox draft picks, including D’Angelo Ortiz, the 19th-round pick and the son of Hall of Famer David Ortiz, announced their signings on Instagram from the team’s extended spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. Oops… According to Cora, righthander Liam Hendriks threw over thirty pitches in a bullpen session on Friday. Oh dear… After missing time due to a leg injury since June 6, lefthander Zach Penrod made a strong comeback to the WooSox rotation, retiring six of the seven batters he saw in the first two innings before giving up two runs on three hits in the third. The Sox signed the 27-year-old out of independent ball last season, and he may end up becoming a left-handed depth option for them in the later innings. Oh dear… Johnny Damon, a former leadoff hitter for the Yankees and Red Sox, was present. Oh dear… Fenway Park held a minute of silence prior to the game in memory of Boston businessman and philanthropist Jack Connors Jr., who passed away on Tuesday.