Hanley remains out of lineup with sore left foot
Pedroia 'getting better' as he recovers from right hamstring strain
BOSTON -- While the day-to-day issues of the Red Sox certainly took a backseat after manager John Farrell revealed he has treatable Stage 1 lymphoma on Friday, the club still has to navigate around injuries plaguing two of its star hitters.
Left fielder Hanley Ramirez was out of the starting lineup for a fifth straight game on Friday due to a sore left foot. Ramirez fouled a pitch off the foot during last Friday's game in Detroit.
Head team orthopedist Dr. Peter Asnis reevaluated Ramirez at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon.
"He's over getting checked by Dr. Asnis right now," Farrell said. "He's been able to go through some pregame work. ... It's not turning the corner yet with the left foot, where he fouled the ball off the left foot. The imaging still has been negative. And yet the responsiveness to treatment and really getting back to full speed is kind of hanging in the balance. So he was over to get re-checked today to see if there's any change of plan with that.
The Red Sox have been operating with a short three-man bench while Ramirez nurses the injury. Given the amount of time he has already missed, a stay on the 15-day disabled list is possible.
Ramirez was batting .218 with a .256 slugging percentage in his past 20 games entering Friday. In his absence, and with the return of Mookie Betts from the seven-day concussion DL, the team again started surging outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. in left.
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Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (right hamstring strain) offered a more optimistic outlook on his own recovery. The veteran has only played six games since June 24, when he reaggravated the same injury that caused him to miss time in early July, but he said he is making slow and steady progress.
"I'm getting better," Pedroia said. "I just finished this week strengthening. And then I have one more week of that phase, and then I have an MRI on Friday. And if everything looks good, I'll start my running progression and then be back out there."
In all likelihood, Pedroia's return date remains a few weeks away.