Red Sox fans will experience the long-awaited debut of James Paxton on Friday night at Fenway Park.
He isn’t the only Boston pitcher scheduled to return to the mound, however.
Kutter Crawford and Joely Rodríguez reportedly are both on track to make their returns to Major League Baseball over the next week, with Alex Speier of The Boston Globe noting Rodríguez will pitch in Double-A Portland on Saturday before being activated for the start of Boston’s series with the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Crawford is on track for activation when the Red Sox start a west-coast road trip against the San Diego Padres on May 19, according to Speier.
It’s been a long road into Boston’s bullpen for Rodríguez, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox this winter. The 31-year-old came into the 2023 season with expectations that his underlying metrics would be enough to make him a key contributor in the bullpen. Instead, he has dealt with setbacks from an oblique strain that forced him onto the 15-day injured list.
Rodríguez has gone through the rehab-assignment ringer, with one last hurdle appearing to be in the way before his eventual Red Sox debut.
Crawford has been another story. The 27-year-old has been superb for the Red Sox, bolstering a 3.51 ERA across 25 2/3 innings pitched. In finally settling into a role in the bullpen, Crawford really took off before a hamstring strain was enough to send him to the 15-day IL. His first day eligible to return would be that series-opening game against the Padres.
The returns of Rodríguez and Crawford, coinciding with those of Paxton and Garrett Whitlock, should make for a crowded Boston pitching staff. There are already questions as to who would be jettisoned from what has become a seven-man rotation, with only so many bullpen spots to go around.
Yes, adding quality arms is a good thing for the Red Sox. It just might make for some tough decisions.
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