Rehabbing In The Middle

3B Will MiddleBrooks now joins fellow Red Sox teammate OF Shane Victorino in injury rehab down in Pawtucket.

Ryan Fox (@Spider_Fox87)

It is early in the baseball season and the weather outside is still a little chilly out. This puts players at risk for muscle pulls and strains. Unfortunately that’s what happened to Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks.

Middlebrooks suffered a right calf strain early in the season back on April 5th. He was then placed on the disabled list on April 6 and did not resume baseball activities until today when he made his first rehab start in Pawtucket.

Middlebrooks is no stranger to McCoy. Last year, he was here from June 4-10 for a rehab assignment with a lower back strain. Then Middlebrooks was back in McCoy on June 22 before getting recalled back up to Boston on August 10. Overall, Middlebrooks appeared in 45 games with Pawtucket. He batted .268 (48-for-179) with 10 HRs, 35 RBIs, 16 walks and 38 strikeouts. He also sported an OBP of .327, slugging percentage of .464, and had an OPS of .790.

Originially Middlebrooks was supposed to start his rehab assignment last Friday. However he was held back due to a small bout with the flu. So tonight’s game against the Buffalo Bison was his first rehab start. He joined fellow Red Sox teammate OF Shane Victorino (on a rehab assignment as well) in the lineup.

Although the PawSox won the game 4-3, Middlebrooks finished the game 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. This also includes striking out in the 5th with the bases loaded. But more importantly, Middlebrooks looked very fluid with no signs of his calf hampering his movements during of the game.

Interestingly enough Middlebrooks was pulled after the 5th inning, with Carlos Rivero taking his place at third. Perhaps the reason why he was pulled early was more on the precaution side. With the weather still hovering around the low 50s and 40s at night, PawSox manager Kevin Boles did not want to risk a muscle pull due to tightness in the third baseman’s first rehab start. 

After the game, Middlebrooks took some time to talk with the media about his performance and of his rehab.

Middlebrooks next rehab start will be on Wednesday, April 22, against the Rochester Red Wings