Shane Victorino landed on the disabled list in May after he aggravated a right hamstring strain and suffered a setback in June due to a back issue, but he’s finally close to rejoining the Red Sox.
After playing three games with Class A Lowell over the past week, Victorino moved his minor league rehab assignment up to Triple-A Pawtucket tonight. Batting second and playing right field, he went 2-for-4 with two singles and two runs scored while playing all nine innings. Red Sox manager John Farrell told Steven Patrella of MLB.com earlier this evening wants him to play back-to-back games before being activated, so it’s feasible that he could make his long-awaited return this weekend if all goes well.
After being an important part of Boston’s World Series run last year, Victorino has only appeared in 21 games this season while batting just .242/.276/.352 over 99 plate appearances.
