Patrick Sandoval suffers setback with biceps tightness as Red Sox pitching depth tested

Patrick Sandoval has yet to throw a pitch for the Red Sox, and his return hit another setback Sunday.

The left-hander was pulled from his rehab start with Triple-A Worcester due to biceps tightness, manager Alex Cora told reporters.

It’s another frustrating turn for Sandoval as he works his way back to the big league mound.

“He felt some tightness in his day three, so he’s here just to make sure everything is ok,” Cora said. “I don’t know what’s next with him, but obviously they want to check on him.”

In addition to Sandoval being scratched, the Red Sox also pulled left-hander Payton Tolle from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.

Tolle is being held in reserve in case of a rainout in Boston, where he could be added as the 27th man for a potential doubleheader on Marathon Monday.

"If we don’t play today, he’d probably be in the mix tomorrow,” Cora said pregame. 

Back to Sandoval, the left-hander signed a two-year, $18.25-million deal with the Red Sox prior to the 2025 season but missed the entire year while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

He made his first rehab start last Wednesday at Polar Park. His outing got off to a rocky start, featuring two errors, including a throwing miscue of his own, along with a defensive play ruled a hit, a walk, and two base knocks in the first inning.

Sandoval threw 63 pitches, 35 for strikes, over 3 1/3 innings. While he wasn’t particularly sharp, he expressed satisfaction with simply being back on the mound.

"I’m happy I got into the fourth and got an out in the fourth," Sandoval said following his rehab outing. “I like the way I pitched even with the stuff not being there and not being in the zone all that much. ... Even when they hit the ball, it wasn’t necessarily hard contact. There was a lot of soft contact. There’s a lot I can take away from that.”

He has a career 4.01 ERA in 107 appearances (100 starts), all with the Angels from 2019-24.

Tolle has opened the season with the WooSox, making three starts. Over 15 innings, he’s allowed eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits and four walks while striking out 19.

With both Sandoval and Tolle unavailable, the WooSox will turn to