The Boston Red Sox have been without one of their most impactful relievers for two months, but it doesn’t look like they’ll need to wait much longer for his return.
Justin Slaten’s unidentified injury has been… well, identified.
Slaten, who has not appeared in a game since May 28, had been dealing with an oddly mysterious neck/shoulder injury that caused him to be shut down from his throwing program on numerous occasions. Slaten, however, shared he feels “back to normal” on Saturday, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
Boston found out the transverse bone was growing into a nerve in his neck. It’s all good now, though, which allowed the 27-year-old to continue his throwing program and toss a bullpen prior to Saturday’s victory over the Houston Astros.
Slaten, who has a 3.47 ERA across 24 appearances, could be an option by September.
