Red Sox manager says injured outfielder progressing slower than expected

The Red Sox expect to get Wilyer Abreu back from the injured list soon The outfielder has been out since Aug with a right calf strain and originally the club hoped he could avoid an IL stint altogether before it became clear he d be out longer than a day or two But as a couple of days has stretched to a couple of weeks Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Abreu hasn t progressed as hastily as hoped Related Articles MLB notes Where would Red Sox be if they d re-signed Kyle Schwarber Payton Tolle shines in debut but Red Sox lose to Pirates - Red Sox commentator Tom Caron celebrates years at NESN Red Sox ace on Payton Tolle He has the stuff to stick around a long time Top Red Sox pitching prospect Payton Tolle being called up to majors Slower than what we expected He s been able to hit and move around defensively but he hasn t been able to run Cora announced Are we concerned Yes and no He ll be back at one point but I think it s been longer than expected Cora emphasized that Abreu hasn t suffered a setback and that they ve chosen to take things slowly The outfielder is scheduled to run prior to Monday s encounter and if everything goes smoothly he could potentially return to the lineup by the end of the week But if not the Red Sox may have to make do without Abreu for a bit longer Pitching plans unsettled Under normal circumstances Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle would be in line to pitch Wednesday s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians on regular rest but given that Tolle has already pitched more innings than any season in his life and has typically pitched just once a week in the minors the club is leaning towards pushing his next start back We re talking about it it s TBD the last day obviously understanding Tolle s workload we have to be cautious with that Cora declared We ll have conversations this day about in the next 24 hours too and what s next rotation wise I ll have more the upcoming day We re leaning towards giving him the extra day Cora added later on Tolle If the Red Sox don t make any additional changes Brayan Bello would be lined up to pitch Monday and Garrett Crochet on Tuesday The top candidate to make a spot start on Wednesday or whichever day the Red Sox need help would seemingly be left-hander Kyle Harrison who was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday for the WooSox but who was scratched presumably to keep him available to pitch for the big league club Another factor working in Boston s favor Monday marks the Sept roster expansion that will see the developing roster grow from to men Harrison or whoever is called up to start could be promoted without there being a need to send anyone else down