Alex Verdugo wasn't going to be ready for the originally-scheduled Opening Day. There was some question regarding if the outfielder would be available for any of that first full month.
But now it appears Verdugo might have a chance to start playing baseball whenever everyone else does (whenever that might be).
Talking on a conference call with the media Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke offered an update on Verdugo, who had been slowed by a stress fracture in his back.
"Unfortunately with the shutdown of the camp at JetBlue, he hasn't been able to continually progress as fast as we'd like him to. He is swinging and doing all the things he needs to do. Unfortunately with the shutdown, we're having to basically go see him and then it makes it more difficult for him to workout," said Roenicke when asked about the outfielder, who has remained in Fort Myers, Fla. but without the ability to train at JetBlue Park.
Added the interim manager, "He can take full swings, he can run fine, his throwing was really getting good. Unfortunately, I don't think we've been able to take him back in there to have an MRI done to see if that thing has healed completely, and I don't know if we need to. I haven't talked to Brad about that. Maybe we need to once we decide, once we're out, that he can get in games again. So, I'm not exactly sure where he is, exactly how far along he is, especially when he stopped working out at JetBlue, I've kind of lost the daily, how far along is he? I think by the time we get back and train again, if we're going to be able to do it, I would think he's going to be able to fit in along with the other guys and maybe be ready for us."
Pitching coach Dave Bush, who also joined the conference call, passed along some information on another new Red Sox, pitcher Collin McHugh, who is coming back from an elbow issue.
"He's back home. His program, even before we left Fort Myers, his program was stretched out," Bush said. "We weren't expecting him any time soon. I don't believe his timeframe has changed at all right now. It's still in the early stages of building up arm strength and a throwing program. With the season on hold right now, there's no urgency immediately other than to continue following the plan that he had a couple of months ago when we signed him.
