BOSTON -- Boston had two rough starts from their Cy Young candidate and their $217 million arm, but there’s been no sign of their All-Star starting pitcher, Steven Wright, who isn’t on the playoff roster due to his injured shoulder.
The knuckleballer has seen specialists and rehabbing since he injured his throwing shoulder when he pinch ran in Los Angeles on August 6. He did make a few starts after he injured himself sliding head first back into second, but never felt quite right.
He threw a few simulated innings on Saturday, but after the first inning things took a turn for the worse.
“Second inning didn’t feel as clean or as good as his first,” John Farrell said before Monday night’s game. “If we’re able to advance, I don’t know what his availability will be at this point.
“I think it took him a little bit more to get into the slot where he feels most comfortable and I guess that’s kind of the description of 'clean' or 'not as readily repeated.'”
After Farrell mentioned Wright's unavailability, the knuckleballer told CSNNE that his focus has shifted towards getting ready for Spring Training.
“I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort, but in that second inning, I just didn’t have the same strength,” Wright said.
Boston Red Sox
Had Wright gone through the outing pain-free, there was hope he would venture down to Fort Myers to take the next step in his rehabilitation process, but now that’s not an option.
“There was, if Saturday went better than it did,” Farrell said when asked about sending Wright to Fort Myers had things gone as planned. “So we’re not at that point, no.”