The Boston Red Sox have had a strange season thus far. They came out of the gates struggling and were at one time almost 10 games under .500. They then quietly went on a tear from mid-May through mid-June where they won 28 out of 37 games. That vaulted them into second place in the American League East. However, recently Boston has fallen on hard times on again, having dropped six of their last nine games.

On Thursday though, the Red Sox finally got some good news. Both utility man Kike Hernandez and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi are nearing a return from the injured list.

Eovaldi is slated to make a rehab start at Triple-A Worcester this weekend. It's not known whether or not he will need more rehab starts after that, but any sign that he is nearing a return is good. The Red Sox rotation has been in shambles for most of the year. Michael Wacha is currently missing time with what might be a dead arm. Chris Sale has missed the entire season and recently struggled in a rehab start. Boston has had to throw unknown Josh Winckowski on the mound every five games.

Prior to Eovaldi going on the IL with back inflammation, the hard-throwing righty was 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA.

Meanwhile, Hernandez will be joining Eovaldi in Worcester this weekend. He has been out since early June with a hip flexor strain. Boston's lineup has been inconsistent since his absence.

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With the All-Star Game approaching, the Red Sox sit tied with the Tampa Bay Rays 14 games back of the Yankees in the AL East. They are also tied for the top two wild card spots with Toronto, Cleveland, Seattle and Chicago chasing.