Boston Red Sox Interim Manager Issues Encouraging Injury Updates on Red Sox Pitchers

Ahead of Tuesday night's game in Toronto, interim manager Chad Tracy issued injury updates on four Boston Red Sox pitchers:

The Red Sox placed starter Sonny Gray on the 15-day injured list after he exited his fifth start of the season after just 2.2 innings with hamstring tightness. Boston was hopeful the injury would require only the minimum stay on the injured list, and it appears Gray is trending in that direction. Per Christopher Smith of MassLive, Gray threw a bullpen on Monday in Toronto, "Everything went really well," Tracy said. "And the next step would be probably when we get home in Fenway sometime to throw another bullpen with more volume."

Justin Slaten has been on the injured list since April 8 with an oblique strain, and he began throwing while the Red Sox were in Baltimore. According to Tracy, Slaten has taken the next step towards getting back into game action, throwing a bullpen on Monday. His next step is also another 'pen. "A little more volume and then we'll see where he's at after that," Tracy said before Tuesday's game. 

Kutter Crawford was returned from his rehab assignment on April 14 after making just one appearance with Triple-A Worcester, where he experienced right elbow soreness. Crawford was sent for imaging, which unveiled inflammation in his flexor tendon, leading the Red Sox to shut him down from throwing. 

According to Smith, Tracy told reporters that Crawford will "get some plyo throwing in, but no throwing yet with the baseball. We'll see how it goes. And then probably a few days after that, hopefully he's throwing again."

Crawford showed some expected rust in his lone rehab appearance, throwing 60 pitches across three innings of work, allowing five runs on six hits, including three home runs, striking out five. 

The last time Crawford was on a major league mound, he was wrapping up a breakout 2024 season, striking out 175 batters with a 4.38 ERA across a team-high 183.2 innings of work. After starting the 2025 season on the injured list with right patellar tendinopathy, the team announced in July that he would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing right wrist surgery.

Fellow rehabbing starter Patrick Sandoval made two starts for Worcester before he was returned from his assignment with bicep tightness. Former manager Alex Cora told reporters that Sandoval would return to Boston to undergo additional testing but would hopefully need only a couple of days to rest. 

"Sandoval had additional testing. All that was positive. So hopefully in the next few days, he resumes throwing." Tracy said, per Smith.

In his two rehab appearances for Worcester, Sandoval looked every bit of a pitcher that hasn't seen live game action in almost two years, allowing eight runs (five earned) on six hits, walking seven batters in just 5.1 innings pitched. 

Boston signed Sandoval, who was recovering from a July 2024 Tommy John surgery, to a two-year, $18.25 million contract ahead of the 2025 season. The 29-year-old lefty missed the entirety of the 2025 season recovering from the surgery. 

Much like the 2025 season, Boston entered 2026 flush with pitching depth that made them feel comfortable enough to deal the centerpiece of last summer's Rafael Devers trade, Kyle Harrison, to Milwaukee. Much like in 2025, the Red Sox' pitching depth is being tested early due to a slew of injuries. 

In the wake of Saturday's firing of manager Alex Cora, the Red Sox are playing their best stretch of baseball of the young season, entering Tuesday night's game in Toronto riding a season-high three-game winning streak.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!