Sandoval (biceps) struck out three and allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk across four innings Sunday in his rehab start with Triple-A Worcester.
Sandoval built up to 60 pitches (40 strikes) in Sunday's appearance, his fifth minor-league start since he resumed a rehab assignment June 5. He generated five whiffs in the outing and averaged 92.8 mph with his four-seam fastball, down one mph from his average with the Angels during the 2024 season before he underwent internal brace surgery that June. The 29-year-old southpaw is now well removed from the elbow procedure, but a bout with biceps soreness during his rehab assignment in April continued to delay his Red Sox debut. Sandoval's current 30-day rehab window will come to an end Saturday, so he'll likely make one more start with either Worcester or Double-A Portland before coming off the 60-day injured list. With Jake Bennett having excelled as the Red Sox's No. 5 starter over the past few weeks, Sandoval might have to settle for a multi-inning relief role once he gets activated.