Weeks after Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony's injured list stints began, they remain on the sidelines, despite the Boston Red Sox's initial belief they'd be able to return quickly. The two faces of Boston baseball haven't necessarily experienced setbacks, but their recovery is going slower than the team expected.
Anthony has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his hand. He's since had a cortisone shot to try and accelerate his timeline. According to interim manager Chad Tracy during a May 20 appearance on WEEI's "Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson" show, Anthony can throw and catch and has full strength in his injured hand, but he hasn't been cleared to swing.
On May 18, Anthony swung a bat for the first time since his IL stint began on May 5. The outfielder experienced some pain while swinging so the Red Sox halted his progression. Anthony will attempt swings again on Friday after an off day Thursday.
There is no indication of a timeline on Anthony's recovery — if he can't swing, he can't progress. The Red Sox may be hesitant to give another estimate of his return after the first one was so inaccurate. It doesn't make sense to rush Anthony back since the Red Sox have to rely so heavily on him to produce for the rest of the season, but surely they'd like him back soon since he was trending up offensively at the time of his injury — he'd batted .269/.345/.346 in his last seven games before his hand flared up.
Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet are making slow progress toward Red Sox returns
Like Anthony, Crochet is moving slowly but surely through his rehab, and the latest updated on him are a bit more positive. The ace is still a ways from a return to the roster, but he threw an up-and-down bullpen session before the Red Sox's series finale at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. He told reporters after the session that his shoulder feels strong.
According to Christopher Smith of MassLive, Crochet will throw another short session on Friday or Saturday before facing hitters for the first time next week. He expects to need more than one bullpen session before Boston activates him or sends him on a rehab assignment (which he initially said he hopes to avoid). Crochet isn't satisfied with his mechanics, however, and needs to simplify his delivery during his remaining rehab steps.
Crochet last pitched in a big league game on April 25, and like Anthony, there's no sense in rushing him back to the lineup. The Red Sox have more than enough pitching to cover his absence — Payton Tolle has been elite since his call-up — and Crochet hasn't looked like himself all year, as evidenced by his extremely-out-of-character 6.30 ERA after six starts.
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