PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Injuries are a fact of baseball life, even in spring training. To date, the Red Sox have been fortunate that they've had only minor issues with which to deal.
Pitcher Drew Pomeranz, who came out of his first start last Friday with some discomfort in his left arm and was later diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon, was re-examined Tuesday and given the clearance to begin throwing again later this week.
Neither Pomeranz nor the Red Sox were overly concerned at the time, but whenever a pitcher walks off a mound, there's at least some cause for concern.
For now, this seems like a temporary setback. Pomeranz felt no discomfort Tuesday morning when he was looked at by medical personnel.
"He should start throwing again in a couple of days,'' said Alex Cora after the Red Sox' 9-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Before the game, the Red Sox scratched Brock Holt from the lineup and replaced him at second base with Ivan DeJesus Jr. Holt had been penciled in at second base, but during field, felt something grab in the left side of his abdomen.
"I wasn't going to push him,'' said Cora. "It wasn't worth it.''
"I made a throw and felt a little tightness in my lower ab,'' said Holt. "I took ground balls and took BP afterward and I didn't feel anything during BP and was just a little tight throwing. I didn't want to go out there and try to do something during the game and actually pull it. It just felt tight on one throw. I don't expect to be out for very long. I'm hoping to be out there tomorrow. We'll see how I feel.''
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