BOSTON -- The Red Sox starting rotation has stabilized itself since its rough start in the first half, all without the presence of their All-Star pitcher, Steven Wright.
Wright’s aggravated shoulder has been an issue since his slid into second base at Dodger Stadium on August 8.
Boston has 17 regular season games left after Rick Porcello’s Wednesday-night start, leaving little hope for Wright to return to the starting rotation in the regular season.
“It’s all dependent upon when he initiates the throwing program,” John Farrell said prior to Wednesday’s game. “We recognize there’s (17) games left. He’s going to have to build up some -- I don’t want to rule it out. But at this point it’s going to become a little bit more challenging at each passing day.”
The plan is to have Wright begin his throwing program after the homestand, when he heads down to Fort Myers.
“We’ve still yet to put a ball in his hand,” Farrell said. “He’s going to travel and report to Fort Myers after this homestand, with the hope that a throwing program can be, not only initiated, but we’ll see if he’ll be able to withstand an accelerated one where he’s got the ability to throw to hitters at some point.
“So that’s a best-case scenario at this point. If the throwing program is not initiated soon, the rehab will continue to intensify until we’re up against the clock a little bit in terms of his availability.”
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Wright spoke on the matter following Wednesday's loss, and he didn't sound too optimistic about returning for 2016 -- he seems focused more on getting ready for 2017.
"Even if I don’t come back this year, I just want to make sure that by whenever the season’s over for me," Wright explained, "that I’m physically ready to go into the offseason 100 percent to get ready for Spring Training."
Nick Friar can be followed on Twitter @ngfriar
