Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, on the 10-day disabled list with an abdominal strain, took batting practice for the second day in a row on Sunday and manager Alex Cora said he could soon be ready for a minor league rehab assignment.
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"He was driving the ball," Cora told reporters before the Red Sox played the White Sox. "He still has stuff to do. We treated it like a normal pregame. He's going to hit off the machine during the game. There were some pitches he got to that a week ago he couldn't get to."
Cora said after the game that Betts "had a great day" and would travel to Baltimore with the team Monday "and then we'll go from there." Betts, out since May 26, is still the major league's leading hitter at .359 and leads in OPS (1.187) to go with 17 homers and 37 RBI.
The news was not as encouraging on second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who returned to the DL last week after playing just three games as he comes back from offseason knee surgery.
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"Dustin still has inflammation. We’re going to keep him off baseball activities today, see how he feels," Cora said. "He’ll travel with us but it’s been a slow process as far as that. He’s feeling better, not as much pain as a week ago but still, he’s feeling it."
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox open a three-game series in Baltimore Monday before traveling to Seattle for a four-game series beginning Thursday and finishing the trip with three in Minnesota.