All eyes have been on Liam Hendriks the last couple of weeks with the veteran reliever pushing to make his return from Tommy John surgery and get on the mound for the first time in a Boston Red Sox uniform late in the season.
But the Red Sox have another pitcher taking key steps to return from injury and be a part of the bullpen mix.
Justin Slaten, who has spent over a month on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation, made his first rehab appearance Friday with Double-A Portland. The 26-year-old right-hander was rusty, tossing just eight of his 17 pitches for strikes and recording only one out, via strikeout, before exiting. He also gave up one run, one hit and one walk.
But Red Sox manager Alex Cora was optimistic about Slaten coming out of the outing.
"He felt fine. A little bit out of rhythm but as far as like the health, he's in a good place,” Cora told reporters prior to Saturday's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. "We'll see how he feels today and then go over the plan. If he needs one more (rehab appearance), he needs one more. If not, we'll take a look and if we feel like he's ready to go, we'll make a decision."
The Red Sox traded for Slaten this offseason after the New York Mets grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft from the Texas Rangers.
Slaten showed his value almost immediately and became a key bullpen arm Cora could rely on. Slaten posted a 5-2 record with a 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 10 holds -- good for third-best on the team behind Chris Martin and Brennan Bernardino -- in 31 appearances.
Getting Slaten back into the fold in the near future should aid the bullpen, which has struggled mightily since the All-Star break.
Meanwhile, Hendriks will make his third rehab appearance Sunday with Portland.
