It’s being reported today that Crawford has begun throwing from 90 feet today and hopes to start swinging a bat again by mid-week. In case you missed it, Crawford was sidelined last week after experiencing inflammation in his left wrist, which is the one he had surgery on this past offseason. Crawford had said he wanted to be available for Opening Day, but that will not be happening now.
This weekend, Crawford was taking one-handed swings off a tee and was hoping to be cleared by the medical staff to take full-on swings. When he does start swinging the bat, Crawford will be monitored, according to Valentine. The goal is to get Crawford comfortable with swinging the bat without experiencing the inflammation again. It appears to be a steady progression for Crawford to be back in the line-up, but a goal date has not been announced.
I’ve said it before, Crawford will have a bounce-back season this year. He’s going to make a positive impact on this Red Sox team, and I think he will experience Red Sox Nation’s admiration rather than disproval, like he did last year. Crawford’s too good to have two down years in a row. We, as fans, have to remember that it was just two years ago that Crawford was running circles around the Red Sox when he got on base. I’m guessing he’s going to have at least thirty steals this year, probably more with the way Valentine likes his players to run the bases (see yesterday’s posting on the Red Sox steals this weekend).
I don’t want to throw out too many predictions before the start of the season, but I can see Crawford getting back to Gold Glove caliber fielding in left field again. Fenway Park is tricky, and while Crawford has played at Fenway numerous times before joining the Red Sox, it still takes some getting used to. I think all Crawford needs is confidence, and if he gets that back, he will be a force on this team.
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