Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford is right on track in his recovery from a badly strained left hamstring.
According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Crawford is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday evening with Triple-A Pawtucket. If all goes well, he will only be required to play in two rehab games before returning to the Red Sox starting lineup Monday in Baltimore.
Crawford, 29, was batting .243/.275/.384 with six home runs, eight stolen bases and 31 RBI in 277 plate appearances before straining his hamstring in mid-June. He signed a seven-year, $142 million free agent contract with the Red Sox this past December.