FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s been a very long time since Kutter Crawford or Patrick Sandoval took the mound in a giant league recreation, and thus far the 2 veterans haven’t taken the sector with their teammates via the primary week of Grapefruit League play.
However behind the scenes the pair have continued to make progress.
Crawford and Sandoval every threw dwell batting observe on the Fenway South advanced on Friday, which Pink Sox supervisor Alex Cora stated went very nicely. Sandoval threw two innings and is anticipated to throw extra multiple-inning bullpens subsequent week, and Crawford confronted dwell hitters for the primary time and can advance to 2 innings subsequent time up.
Despite the fact that each acknowledged they’re behind the opposite starters who’ve already appeared in video games, Sandoval and Crawford stated Saturday they haven’t dominated out being prepared for Opening Day.
“I’m not too far behind I don’t suppose,” Sandoval stated. “Opening Day shouldn’t be out of the query.”
“I don’t need to say I’m not going to be on Opening Day, I don’t need to say I’m going to be on Opening Day both,” Crawford stated. “If I’m not, I don’t suppose it’s going to be for much longer after Opening Day for positive, however I plan on spending the vast majority of the season with the workforce.”
Sandoval joined the Pink Sox earlier than the 2025 season on a two-year deal after present process Tommy John surgical procedure the prior June. The 29-year-old left-hander spent your complete 12 months rehabbing and has been introduced alongside slowly this spring as he ramps up for the brand new season.
Despite the fact that he didn’t pitch Sandoval was an everyday presence across the Pink Sox clubhouse, and now he’s excited for the chance to really be a part of his teammates on the sector.
“It’s good to undergo all of the drills and undergo camp with the blokes understanding I can contribute this 12 months,” Sandoval stated. “It’s simply good to be across the guys and doing baseball exercise with the remainder of the blokes and never being remoted in my very own rehab space.”
Crawford additionally missed your complete 2025 season attributable to damage, first due to a lingering knee damage that he’d pitched via all all through the prior season after which after struggling a wrist damage throughout a freak accident at residence over the summer time.
After making a team-high 33 begins for the Pink Sox in 2024, the 29-year-old righty spent the overwhelming majority of final season in Fort Myers.
“Final 12 months I spent most of my time right here rehabbing so I wasn’t with the workforce, with the fellas within the clubhouse chopping it up,” Crawford stated. “Having everyone right here I’m in a position to spend time with them and (joke round) and giggle and reduce up, it’s an ideal feeling and it feels good to be round all the blokes once more.”
Even as soon as they’ve caught up, it’s unclear what function Sandoval and Crawford may have on this 12 months’s workforce. There may be already a fierce competitors underway for the ultimate beginning rotation spot, with Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle the early frontrunners. The Pink Sox even have 4 off days over the primary 22 days of the common season, so the membership could not even want a No. 5 starter for the primary month.
However whether or not it’s within the rotation, the bullpen or another capability, Crawford and Sandoval seem to lastly be trending in direction of a return.
No replace on Rodgers
The Pink Sox are nonetheless attempting to find out the extent of infielder Brendan Rodgers’ proper shoulder damage, however Cora acknowledged Saturday that the Gold Glove winner will probably be sidelined for some time.
“He had a CT scan yesterday, we’ll get the outcomes in all probability at present or tomorrow, however it doesn’t look nice,” Cora stated. “We’ve got to verify we undergo all of the steps and we’ll know both tonight or tomorrow what’s the subsequent step. However he’ll miss a while.”
Rodgers suffered the damage on Wednesday reaching for the ball on the bottom after making a diving cease. The 29-year-old has handled quite a few important shoulder accidents all through his profession and hoped to make the massive league membership as a non-roster invitee this spring.
Additional innings
Left-hander Alec Gamboa is coping with an elbow situation and can be shut down for 3 extra days, Cora stated. The membership will reassess midweek to find out his subsequent steps. … Infielder Mikey Romero has a decent again and can be shut down via the weekend. Cora stated they hope he’s good to go by Monday, and Romero, who has handled important again points prior to now, stated it’s nothing main and he isn’t involved.
