Red Sox Rumors: John Schreiber return looming and much-needed

Injuries have been a dirty word for the Boston Red Sox pitching staff this season. Whether it's been the ongoing Chris Sale saga, Garrett Whitlock's struggle to stay healthy, Tanner Houck's freak injury from a comebacker to the face, or a number of other instances, things have not gone particularly well for the club in terms of keeping their arms healthy.

Among the starters who have been unable to stay on the field, though, the Red Sox have also direly missed John Schreiber, who has been on the IL since mid-May with a teres major strain.

In 18 appearances prior to the injury, though, Schreiber had continued to establish himself as a dominant force that Boston needed direly out of the bullpen, going 17.0 innings with a 2.12 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen have held up the back end of the bullpen in his absence, but the Red Sox would love to deepen their staff of relievers.

And soon, they'll be able to. As reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Schreiber took the last step in his rehab on Thursday after appearing in back-to-back games with Double-A Portland, posting back-to-back perfect outings and completing an extremely strong return to the mound, albeit in the minors, as he gets healthy.

Cotillo also reported that, after those back-to-back appearances, manager Alex Cora said that Schreiber will come off the IL and rejoin the team either Sunday against the Mets or Tuesday at Fenway Park to start a series with the Atlanta Braves.

Getting Schreiber back is massive in every sense at this point of the season. With the Red Sox fighting for a wild card spot in the American League, the worrisome bullpen depth has been looming large. But the now imminent return of Schreiber coupled with a focus at the trade deadline could alleviate any concerns in a huge way.

Red Sox Rumors: Mets RP David Robertson an ideal trade target

Boston could get a first-hand and close-up look at a number of potential trade targets at the deadline this weekend in the series against the New York Mets.

Entering this series 17.5 games out of first place in the NL East, the Mets appear all but certain to reshape the roster at the deadline, likely by selling off rental pieces with the slight possibility of a blockbuster mixed in there. Tommy Pham, a familiar face for the Red Sox, and Mark Canha could be potential bats on the move from New York, but Chaim Bloom and the front office for Boston should be more interested in the bullpen.

While the return of Schreiber will be critical for the relief options that the Red Sox have at their disposal down the stretch, Rob Bradford of Audacy (h/t NESN) reported that the organization plans to target a right-hander to work the seventh inning ahead of Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen at the trade deadline.

The Mets have two potential option, but the most likely target if the Red Sox do want to buy would be David Robertson. The 38-year-old has been connected to Boston on several previous occasions, but now might finally be the time for the match to be made.

In 38 appearances on the year entering Saturday, Robertson has posted a 2.13 ERA and 1.04 WHIP on the year with a stellar 10.0 K/9 rate and 47/13 K/BB ration for the season. He's been as good as ever. And given the previous connection to the Red Sox combined with the team's need for the exact role he thrives in, it would make too much sense for this trade to materialize, especially given that the Mets might not have too high of an asking price for a rental reliever nearing 40 years old.

Red Sox Rumors: Trevor Story gets off to white-hot start in rehab assignment

Not having Trevor Story in the lineup has been, in a word, problematic for the Red Sox. While the lineup has been among baseball's best still, it would surely be a luxury to add the power-hitting middle-infielder to it. More importantly, though, the revolving door at shortstop and second base with options who have been limited defensively has been a lingering concern for the club.

On Friday night, however, the Red Sox finally saw the first step to Story rejoining the big-league roster as he made his first rehab start with the Double-A Portland Seadogs. And Story wasted little time making a good impression in the outing.

The climax of his night came when he mashed a monster three-run home run in the fifth inning, letting Alex Cora and the fan base know that the pop in the bat is still there.

That dinger was the loudest impression that Story made, but the veteran also locked up a first-inning walk, later scoring a run, and rounding his three plate appearances up in the end going 1-for-2 with the home run and two runs scored on the evening. He also made a nice play and showed no ill signs after making a play in the field as well, as noted on NESN.

Getting Story back is absolutely pivotal for the Red Sox to make a true push to the postseason. His shoring up the defense while adding positively to an already potent lineup could be massive to elevate the team in the same way a major trade acqusition would. And the early returns of his rehab stint certainly indicate that he's looking the part of a possible savior.