Red Sox ‘Likely’ To Take Step Toward Full Strength This Weekend

The Red Sox got a positive update on Wednesday...

Mar 30, 2018; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) (not pictured) baseball hat and glove in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox aren’t at full strength right now but they could start to take a step in the right direction this weekend.

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong has been out since suffering a fracture in the pinky area of his left hand on April 7th against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Boston has stayed above water since then with Carlos Narváez and Blake Sabol as the team’s two catchers. While this is the case, Wong is “likely” to begin a rehab assignment this weekend, according to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.

"Wong took BP today and is catching a (Tanner Houck) bullpen," McCaffrey said. "(Alex Cora) said he’s fine catching but needs to catch up hitting-wise. He’ll likely go on rehab assignment this weekend. (Lucas Giolito) set for Friday start in Worcester. If all goes well, Cora said he’ll start next Thursday in Toronto."

Before going down with his injury, Wong was struggling offensively with a .087/.192/.087 with zero homers or RBIs and just two base hits overall in his first 23 at-bats. He appeared in nine games before the injury.

His offensive output may not have been great before going down with his injury, but his eventual return is going to be huge. He's been with the team since 2021 and has been a reliable option for the team's pitchers. He's Boston's No. 1 catcher. Hopefully, his offense will be able to get back to last year's level, but he will help when he eventually gets back simply through working with the pitching.

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