| FORT MYERS, Fla. — In his third day of testing the surgically repaired labrum in his right shoulder, Adrian Gonzalez hit off a batting tee for approximately 10 minutes on Thursday. With trainer Mike Reinold looking on, he increased his load up to 35 swings just before 8 am after starting out with 20 on Monday and 30 on Tuesday. Gonzalez took Wednesday off in what Red Sox manager Terry Francona termed was a "re-gen" day to let it rest and see how it responded after two straight days. Hitting coach Dave Magadan, who observed his swings earlier in the week, was busy watching Jarrod Saltalamacchia also hit off a tee, a sign the Red Sox aren't overly concerned about Gonzalez's mechanics or his work load. Gonzalez said he felt comfortable and reassured with his first swing on Monday and has made progress ever since. Francona, who said he has been very impressed with Gonzalez's work ethic, has not placed a specific timetable on his return to live batting practice or participation in spring training games. Gonzalez first felt pain in his right shoulder last May with the Padres and managed to play through the pain and finished with 160 games played, a .298 average with 31 homers and 101 RBIs. |
