BOSTON -- For outfielder Roman Anthony and ace Garrett Crochet, two signature Red Sox players who have been battling their way back from injuries, there was progress on Tuesday.
Anthony took 12-15 dry swings, marking his most significant progress since spraining his right wrist on May 4 in Detroit. The 22-year-old attempted to take swings in Kansas City last week, but had to shut it down swiftly due to discomfort.
“He felt much better, not feeling as much [discomfort] in the front end, just a little bit, like on the follow through, in the back end, so that's a positive step,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “So the next step will be the same thing tomorrow, only increasing the volume of the amount of swings he takes, and we can increase activity as his tolerance dictates, but a step in the right direction for him today.”
Meanwhile, Crochet took the main mound at Fenway Park for one inning of live batting practice, marking the first time he’s faced hitters since left shoulder inflammation following his start on April 24 led to his placement on the 15-day injured list.
“Another step,” said Crochet. “Nice to kind of check that box off. My bullpens were going pretty poorly [from a mechanics standpoint], and I was like, 'Dude, I'm just not a bullpen guy.' So it went good today. But it's definitely a relief to have a hitter in the box, crank the intensity up a little bit, and still be able to just compete and stay with my body and [have] everything feel good with that.”
For the Red Sox, who took a 22-30 record into Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series against the Braves, it was comforting to know that the returns of Crochet and Anthony are both in sight, though not quite imminent.
“They’re two important pieces of the team ... it's a good day for me getting positive news on both of them,” said Tracy. “So, getting good news and getting closer is a positive step.”
Keep in mind there are still several boxes for both players to check.
Anthony will have to work his way up to doing flips, tee work, taking batting practice and, in all likelihood, eventually going on a Minor League rehab assignment.
“We haven't gotten there, still early. I would think we're probably heading in that direction [of a rehab assignment],” said Tracy. “Early on, when we were in that 10- to 12-day window, that was like, 'Yeah, he hasn’t been out that long.' But when you get down the road here a bit, it's probably something that we're going to talk about. Even if it's the wrist, but more sense of, like, timing and seeing some pitches. So, we haven't talked about it yet. We're going to discuss that as we get closer, but I think it's going to be more of a discussion now than it was prior.”
The same goes for Crochet, who also balked at a rehab assignment much earlier in the process when he thought his absence would be shorter.
“It's so early in the process, just now starting to build up,” said Crochet. “I said [no rehab] when I was on the [IL] for a few days. Now it's been, what, a month? Over a month? So it'll be something that we evaluate when I get to that point.”
Crochet is now on a five-day progression, meaning he will likely throw to hitters next on Sunday, bumping up to two innings.
After that, it is conceivable he could go on a rehab assignment or perhaps even throw a sim game.
The Red Sox haven’t said what kind of pitch count they want Crochet to be able to get to upon activation.
Sonny Gray, for example, threw 70 pitches in his first start back from the IL earlier this month, then progressed to 78 and 80 in the ensuing two starts. He was dominant in all three outings, allowing two earned runs over 17 innings.
However, Gray spent the minimum time on the injured list. There are more steps involved in not just getting Crochet back, but getting him back as his dominant self.
Tuesday was a solid step forward.
“He felt good physically,” Tracy said. “Velocity was kind of sitting in the mid 90s, and he felt pretty good about his pitch execution, so it was a good day for him.”