Last week, we learned that Garrett Crochet had been cleared to throw weighted plyometric balls as he attempts to recover from two injuries: the initial shoulder inflammation that landed him on the IL, and the subsequent lat tightness that has kept him on it for much longer than anyone anticipated. Yesterday he was reevaluated and, while he is said to be improving, he still has not been cleared to start throwing baseballs. It’s starting to look like a lost season for the one-time Cy Young contender.
(Brent Maguire, MLB.com)
But who’s excited for some positive Trevor Story injury news!?!? It’s now been a month since Story had surgery to repair a sports hernia and things are looking good. “He’s actually progressing pretty nicely,” Chad Tracy said. “Let’s call it ‘running,’ it’s not full-bore sprinting, but he’s jogging at a pretty good pace. He has actually swung a bat off a tee a little bit. He’s got a ways to go but he’s in a better spot than I’d figure I’d see him at this point.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
And it looks like Romy Gonzalez has dodged an injury scare, too. After having his rehab assignment paused due to hip flexor tightness, he’s been cleared to play again and will be back in action today. (Evan Cormier, NESN)
Trevor Story and Romy Gonzalez aren’t going to be saving the Red Sox season, and they might not be able to save Craig Breslow’s job, either. And if you’re wondering exactly how hot the Red Sox CBO’s seat is right now, here’s one MLB insider who expects Breslow to remain in charge at least through the trade deadline:
Those trade deadline discussions will no doubt involve Sonny Gray, who is a pending free agent and, thus, likely to be a hot commodity. Gray has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he doesn’t sound like he’s going to be unwilling to move. “If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation. Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open for a conversation.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Whatever happens at the deadline, one thing is clear: the Red Sox need to find their next big bat. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
