BOSTON -- Jac Caglianone took on-field batting practice before Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park for the first time since suffering a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow in Saturday’s loss to the Blue Jays.
Before taking a regular rotation with the last hitting group, Caglianone also hit in the indoor batting cage and shagged balls in right field.
While manager Matt Quatraro could not say whether or not Caglianone would be available to pinch-hit Friday, he was encouraged by the progression of his right fielder.
Caglianone slashed .411/.429/.684 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in August, earning him American League Player of the Month. Overall, the 23-year-old is batting .283 with an .825 OPS, 23 homers and 70 RBIs in 131 games this season.
“Yes, he's definitely better today," Quatraro said. "It's a rest thing, right? He needs time for it to heal up. We're almost at five days, six days now. So, we feel like it's going to continue to get better.”
How Quatraro will work Caglianone back into the lineup when the time comes remains to be seen. If it’s as the designated hitter, Quatraro will have to figure out how to best utilize Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez.
“Yeah, we'll have to make a decision on how we get him in there,” Quatraro said. "It's certainly a good problem to have.”
Caglianone has not yet begun throwing with game intensity, but did make several throws back to the infield during batting practice.
“We're going to go hitting first, and then we'll decide based on that whether he starts to throw,” Quatraro said.