CHICAGO -- Eduardo Rodriguez's return to the Red Sox rotation is going to take a little while longer.
Rodriguez will make at least one more rehab start for Pawtucket Sunday before the Red Sox re-assess his progress.
There had been some thought that Rodriguez would need only two outings on his rehab assignment. But the decision was made Wednesday to give him at least one more.
Rodriguez had a good outing for Pawtucket Tuesday night, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings of work.
All three runs came in the first inning, after which he showed improvement. "From the second to the sixth innings,'' said Farrell, "they were probably more crisp, more sharp. Looking for that to continue to advance."
Rodriguez, too, said he felt better than he did the first time out, when he allowed three runs in just 3 2/3 innings.
"I feel more control of the ball,'' he said. "I feel more comfortable throwing the ball in the game. Physically, I feel fine. I just see how everything goes every day like bullpens, running and everything. I just want to get back as fast as I can. But I want to get back 100 percent, I don't want to get back at 70 percent and go out there and don't do like I normally do."
Boston Red Sox
Rodriguez, of course, has missed the first month of the season after tweaking his knee at the beginning of spring training.
"The first start I made in Pawtucket,'' recalled Rodriguez, ''I was thinking too much on my knee. Every pitch I'm throwing, I'm thinking like 'Don't push too much,' but (Tuesday) night it was every pitch I'm throwing just thinking of the game and not my knee."
After throwing 84 pitches Tuesday night, the Red Sox want him to get his pitch count over 90 in his next outing.
''I think with each outing he's getting, he's gaining more confidence and feeling more maybe natural and free on the mound," Farrell said.