PHILADELPHIA -- Eduardo Rodriguez had the rare opportunity on Wednesday to face a four-time All-Star in a four-inning simulated game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.
So how did Rodriguez look to Ian Kinsler?
"I've faced him before. He's got good stuff. He looks healthy," said Kinsler. "He's ready to go. The ball was moving around today."
Rodriguez, who suffered a severe sprain of his right ankle on July 14, will start a Minor League rehab assignment on Monday for Double-A Portland.
A realistic timetable would be for the lefty to make 2-3 starts in the Minors to build up his pitch count and return to the Red Sox in late August or early September.
"I was throwing like normal," Rodriguez said. "I was enjoying the competition and telling them [to] try to hit the ball every time and swing and take the pitches you'd take normally, and it was really good. I was throwing all my pitches, and it felt great for all four innings."
Though the Red Sox seem to thrive no matter who is on the disabled list, Rodriguez will be an important addition down the stretch and into the postseason.
Manager Alex Cora made it clear he views Rodriguez as a starter, so he will re-join a thriving rotation that includes Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and Nathan Eovaldi.
"Eduardo looks great," Cora said. "Movement of his pitches, right where they have to be. Very aggressive in the strike zone. He was able to repeat his delivery."
Kinsler will also make the Red Sox that much deeper from a position-player standpoint. Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez have been filling in for him. Kinsler will get the majority of the starts at second when he returns, but Cora will be careful with him.
"With Ian, most likely he'll play Friday and Saturday, [get] Sunday off, and then we go from there," said Cora. "But we've got four games against Cleveland. We'll see. We don't want to all of a sudden play 10, 12 games in a row. I think in the beginning he'll play two out of three."
Kinsler is fully confident he is ready to return.
"It's a muscle strain, and it takes 10 days," Kinsler said. "Once you start feeling well, you start pushing the threshold and limit, and then you keep pushing it every day until it feels normal. That's kind of the process. It's the same for any lower body muscle strain, any low-grade strain whatever they call it. You just wait it out."