Smith (elbow) may not be activated from the 60-day disabled list Monday after he was struck by a line drive in the leg during his final rehab outing with Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday, Christopher Smith of The Boston Globe reports.
Since Smith was still able to walk off the field under his power upon departing Sunday, it doesn't sound like he's dealing with a significant setback, but it could nonetheless delay his season debut with the Red Sox. The right-hander, who was limited to just three appearances with the big club in 2016 before requiring Tommy John surgery, isn't expected to be deployed in a high-leverage role once he rejoins Boston after he struggled to regain velocity in his rehab outings. With a full offseason to build his arm back up, the Red Sox believe that Smith can carve out of a more substantial role in the bullpen in 2018.