Gonzalez, who is recovering from left shoulder surgery, cleared an important hurdle in his swing progression, releasing his top hand on his follow-through during batting practice swings. His surgically repaired shoulder has been able to withstand the force of those one-handed releases, which was one of the final steps before Gonzalez was deemed ready to play in games. He will likely need a lengthy rehab stint since he didn’t get any spring training at-bats, but there’s a chance he returns to Boston by the end of June.
