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Red Sox Get Excellent Update on Injured 2.91 ERA Starter

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 22, 2025 12:40 PM ET

It hasn't been a great year for the Boston Red Sox, and until the team is fully healthy and starts playing the way everybody expected them to, that won't change. The Red Sox are currently at 25-26, sitting in third place in the loaded American League East.

Playing .500 baseball again, this looks to be who the Red Sox are as a team.

Regardless, judging them too much is tough until they get healthy. While the focus for the Red Sox has been on some of their stars getting healthier, some under-the-radar arms haven't pitched for them yet. One of them is Patrick Sandoval, a left-handed starter currently dealing with an elbow injury.

When speaking to reporters, including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, he revealed that his first official bullpen in uniform went well. He threw 16 pitches, all of them being fastballs.

“Spoke to Patrick Sandoval, he threw his first official bullpen since surgery in uniform in the bullpen - 16 pitches all fastballs. Called it a big step. Said he’ll throw two per week, next is Friday. He’s not looking too far ahead, doesn’t know the build up plan but he feels good,” she wrote.

It remains uncertain when Sandoval will return, but it sounds like this is the very early stages of his rehab. There's a scenario where he could be throwing sometime in the summer, but for the Red Sox, the focus is on getting him healthy.

He struggled during the 2024 season for the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 5.08 ERA. However, in 2022, he was excellent, posting a 2.91 ERA in 27 outings.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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