Craig Kimbrel Could Return To Red Sox During Upcoming West Coast Road Trip
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox embark on a ten-game West Coast road trip starting Thursday in Anaheim before heading to Seattle for four games and concluding with a three-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It appears they may get their closer back in time for that crucial stretch.
Craig Kimbrel threw 25 pitches from the Fenway Park mound on Monday in his first side session since undergoing knee surgery on July 9. Manager John Farrell would not rule out Kimbrel's possible activation during the team's West Coast trip.
Kimbrel would re-join a suddenly deep bullpen that includes trade acquisition Brad Ziegler, the recently returned Junichi Tazawa, and the emerging Matt Barnes.
"As long as everyone is healthy and pitching to their abilities, yes, it's a talented group and the ability to go multiple innings with a couple of guys, that's always a plus in the event of starts that might end up being short," Farrell told reporters before Monday's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Kimbrel will hold another bullpen session on Tuesday or Wednesday before heading on a Minor League rehab assignment, which Ian Browne of MLB.com said "could last as little as one game depending on how he feels."
Koji Uehara, meanwhile, remains sidelined with a strained pectoral muscle and could miss a month.
