Thaddeus Ward makes rehab start with Low-A Salem

Thad Ward impressive on the mound

After only starting in two games with Double-A Portland last year, Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward had suffered a major setback after getting shut down with a forearm strain.

He was then hit with the news that he would need Tommy John surgery.

“The road to recovery starts now,” he said last year after his successful TJ surgery.

The righty is ranked as the Red Sox 15th overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Ward is the second Red Sox pitching prospect over the course of a year to need Tommy John surgery, joining righthander Bryan Mata, who required the procedure in April.

Mata, like Ward, made his return to the mound with the Salem Red Sox.

Over the nine hitters faced on Tuesday, Ward worked three innings of ball and did not allow a hit or a run while striking out four. Of his 34 pitches thrown, 25 of them were recorded as strikes. Ward also recorded four groundouts and one fly out.

Ward will potentially make one more start in Low-A Salem before making the push to High-A Greenville before he rejoins Double-A Portland, a source told Beyond the Monster.

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