Red Sox Injury Update: Ross is Close, Crawford is Weeks, Ellsbury is Uncertain

Three outfielders, three big names who remain on the injury list for the Boston Red Sox.  Cody Ross, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford are all players that can change the dynamic of a game by either their bat, their speed or their defense.  And for the Red Sox it’s been far too many games without their services, some longer than others and some none at all.

Time heals all wounds, literally, and for the mentioned three, time cannot pass quickly enough.  Cody Ross is the closest to returning and as Peter Abraham of the Globe reported, he was running on the field and took batting practice, all positive signs for the Red Sox and Ross.  According to Bobby Valentine, Ross is close to a rehab assignment and could start that when the club returns home after their 6-game inter-league road trip.

This is promising news for Boston as they have missed his bat in the lineup which can be a game changer as we are forced to only remember what Ross did in Minnesota in early May as it’s been too long since we’ve seen him play; May 18 to be exact.

Carl Crawford still plays for the Red Sox, well sort of.  He’s still on the roster and is still earning a gaudy amount of money this year for playing in a total of zero innings.  The good news on Crawford is that he’s throwing from 40 feet and according to Abraham he will graduate to 75 feet on Tuesday.  Abraham notes that Crawford will go to Fort Myers on Thursday to continue his rehabbing but will likely need another week or two before he sees game action.  He’s been hitting off a tee with no pain but needs to build up strength in his elbow via the training program, the area that was most recently injured.

It’s surprising that Crawford hasn’t needed Tommy John Surgery to repair the elbow damage, something that could be next if he should encounter another setback.  If he doesn’t a return before the all-star game is a possibility.

The player who has the most impact of the three is Jacoby Ellsbury and this Red Sox club is just not the same without him.  He’s been out since April 13, nearly two months to the day and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.

Abraham reported that Ellsbury has been taking soft toss in the batting cages but has not yet seen any rehab assignments on the field.  When asked how his shoulder was feeling the only thing Ellsbury would tell Abraham is “We’re making progress.”  When asked if he was close to any other activities or asked to ellaborate, all Ellsbury would say is “we’re making progress.”  This doesn’t sound promising for a return anytime soon, making a July appearance unlikely at this time.