Stephen Drew injury: Red Sox SS slated to rejoin club Wednesday

Stephen Drew's return to the Boston Red Sox has been delayed for two days on account of the weather. The veteran shortstop planned to suit up with the big-league club on Monday for the home opener, but the cancellation of Double-A Portland's Saturday game due to freezing temperatures has postponed Drew's return, reports Sean McAdam of CSN Northeast.

Drew, 30, has been on the slow road to recovery from a concussion suffered in early March when he was hit in the helmet by a pitch. The veteran is now completely symptom-free, according to manager John Farrell, but the team wants him to get a little more game action before joining the club.

Lackey re-injures arm

The right-hander failed to make it through his first start back from Tommy John without injuring himself again.

The Red Sox have planned for Drew to play in four rehab games before activating him from the disabled list, so he will play a final game with the Sea Dogs on Monday then fly to Boston in time for their second matchup against the Orioles on Wednesday.

Youngster Jose Iglesias has been filling in at shortstop and has played very well in his brief stint -- hitting .529/.556/.647 in the admittedly small sample of 17 at bats -- so it's unclear how the Sox will decide to divvy up the playing time when Drew returns.

The Red Sox will need to make room on the roster for Drew on Wednesday. If John Lackey's arm injury ends up being something DL-worthy, then the club can essentially swap out the two players. Otherwise, a demotion may be in store for one of the club's six outfielders.

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