Drew Pomeranz likely to make his next start

We all know what’s happened with Drew Pomeranz over the last few months. He had shoulder problems towards the end of last season, and while he didn’t require surgery he did get stem cell injections. The rehab from that injury didn’t go according to plan and the lefty got off to a slow start in spring. When he finally did reach game action, things did not go well. It was bad enough that, after his last spring training appearance was a disaster, John Farrell couldn’t commit to Pomeranz being ready for the start of the season. They placed the starter on the 10-day disabled list, giving them an extra reliever to start the year and the chance to see if Pomeranz could be ready for this coming Sunday’s game.

This would be when he’s first eligible to return from the disabled list, and is the first time the Red Sox would need a fifth starter anyway. The lefty had a start against minor-league competition on Monday as a tune up. While it obviously wasn’t televised, Farrell relayed mostly positive news from the outing when he spoke to the media after the Opening Day win. Apparently, it went well enough that Pomeranz is back with the team at Fenway and looks likely to make his start on Sunday.

Or, you know, whenever his start may be. This is good news for the Red Sox, as Pomeranz missing his next start would have made for a tough decision. They could have called Kyle Kendrick up for a spot start, but if Pomeranz would have been ready for his next turn they would’ve had to either put a starter in the bullpen or designate Kendrick for assignment and risk another team claiming him off waivers after the righty’s strong spring. If they wanted to avoid that, they would’ve had to lean on someone like Henry Owens or Brian Johnson, neither of whom would’ve inspired much confidence.

As it turns out, those kind of decisions can wait for at least a little while. It remains to be seen how Pomeranz will look or if he can recapture some of that magic from his first half in San Diego last year, but his presence in the rotation is a good thing for the Red Sox at this point.