SAN FRANCISCO — Newly acquired reliever Jordan Hicks, who has been sidelined with a toe injury, could be ready to make his Red Sox debut Friday night when the Red Sox return from their current nine-game West Coast road swing.
Hicks, acquired in the five-player swap with the San Francisco Giants headlined by Rafael Devers, has been on the IL. He’s currently at Worcester and Alex Cora said Saturday that Hicks would pitch Sunday as part of a rehab assignment.
“There’s a good chance Jordan will join us when we get back home,” said Cora.
Cora said that when Hicks is activated, he’ll eventually be part of the bullpen mix.
“In the beginning, (some low leverage spots), just to get his feet wet,” said Cora. “But we know what he can do. He’s done it before. So I expect him to be with (Greg Weissert and Garrett Whitlock) and being a big part of this.”
Elsewhere, righthander Kutter Crawford has suffered a setback with his right wrist.
“He started playing catch, he didn’t feel great about it,” said Cora, “so we’re going to shut him down. We’re going to fly him up to Boston to see where we’re at. With the wrist, he wasn’t able to generate velocity, so that’s a concern and a concern for him, too. If he’s trying to do something, then the shoulder comes into play.
“He’ll be in Boston in the upcoming days and we’ll know more next week.”
Crawford has been out all year as he deals with a knee issue. That has improved, but the wrist is now the primary concern.
Finally, there’s Masataka Yoshida, who continues to improve and progress.
“He’s swinging, taking ground balls, the whole thing,” said Cora. “The throwing part of it is getting a lot better. I think it’s just a decision: Do you want him to go to Fort Myers and get at-bats down there and then go on a rehab assignment at Double A or Triple A? Or do we just go straight to that?
“Probably, we’ll make a decision on Monday. The hope for me is for him to be here, sooner rather than later.”