Good news for the Red Sox on their two missing starters. Both pitchers took big steps this week in their goals of becoming major league ready. They’re both likely to be back in the Red Sox rotation by mid-June which should provide a boost to the Red Sox pitching staff. Their replacements have gone 3-5 in 9 starts with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.
On Wednesday, Josh Beckett pitched a simulated game. He threw more than 120 pitches while keeping a bandage on his finger to prevent the avulsion from opening back up. The Red Sox made the right choice in being cautious with the young right-hander. Beckett said that he didn’t experience any problems. He also added that the Red Sox are “doing everything [they] can to test it and make sure it will be O.K.” Beckett is scheduled for a bullpen session today and is expected to then come off the disabled list this Tuesday to face the Cleveland Indians. That return date will also put him in line to face the Yankees the next week.
Then, last Thursday Jon Lester made a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket. Lester got his pitch count up to 65 pitches which was good enough for 5 innings. It appears that Lester’s stuff is major league ready. He retired the first 11 batters he faced Thursday and overall has managed an ERA of 1.62 in 16.2 innings of work at the Triple-A level. Now it’s only a matter of getting his pitch count up from 65 to 90 or 100. He will be back by mid-June even he needs 3 more rehab starts with Pawtucket.
In the alternate universe that is the Bronx, the Yankees have had bad news on both of their rehabbing pitchers. After Clemens struggled at the Double-A level, it should come as no surprise that he will need at least one more minor league start before coming to the Yankees. The Yankees seem have lost some confidence in Roger Clemens since the time of his signing. Not only will he need another rehab start, but the Yankees will then give him an extra two days of rest to avoid pitching him against the Red Sox.
It was more of a surprise set back when Phil Hughes injured his ankle yesterday. At the time he was taking part in agility drills. An MRI will be taken on the ankle to determine the extent of the damage. A late June return is now in jeopardy for Hughes. When Chien-Ming Wang suffered from a hamstring injury earlier this year, it took him around 3 weeks to return to the Yankees after throwing off the top of a full-sized mound. Hughes didn’t make it to a full-sized mound until last Wednesday and not only is his injury more severe, but he’s now experiencing subsequent difficulties. Joe Torre wouldn’t classify a mid-June return as anything more than “possible”.
Many Yankees fans were enraged when they heard the fate of their team’s two “saviors”. When Peter Abraham reported on the Hughes injury at The LoHud Yankees Blog, some of his readers lashed out at him. Abraham responded to his readers by sarcastically saying, “I
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