ARLINGTON, Texas — Nearly three months after Caleb Durbin first dislocated his left pinkie and more than a month after he reinjured it, the third baseman’s digit remains locked nearly at a right angle.
“It doesn’t quite straighten or bend all the way,” Durbin acknowledged.
Durbin received X-rays after his initial injury against the Rockies on June 24 and the reinjury against the White Sox on Aug. 6. In both instances, there was no fracture and he was told playing was simply a matter of pain tolerance.
And so, there was little question about how he’d proceed. He didn’t seek more information.
“There really is kind of a joint understanding [with the team] that we’ll get it looked at at the end of the season if we have to, because [whatever the diagnosis is], it’s not going to impact my decision to play at all,” he said.
Still, Durbin recognizes fingers shouldn’t look like they could be used to mount a shelf. Might he require offseason surgery?
“I don’t know yet. We’ll find out,” he said. “I hope there’s something we can do about it. But we’ll get there when the time comes.”
For now, Durbin remains a lineup constant. Thursday’s 4-3 win against the Rangers marked his 145th game of the season. He continues to deliver Gold Glove-caliber defense (his six outs above average lead AL third basemen) while also pushing the envelope on the field with high-IQ plays, most recently advancing from first to third on an infield single on Wednesday.
“He plays the game that way,” said Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “It’s what he does.”
Still, it seems the injury is impacting him at the plate. After going 0 for 3, he’s hitting .195/.389/.293 in September — showing fight in his at-bats (thus his standout on-base percentage), but rarely driving the ball. His whiff rate (10 percent of swings) is the lowest for any month this year. His 48 percent ground ball rate is his highest in any month since May.
But to Durbin, the question of whether or how the injury might be affecting him is secondary. His primary concern is simply whether he is positioned to contribute in any way.
“The pain’s gone down drastically since it happened the second time,” Durbin shrugged. “It’s functional.”
Updates on injured trio
Garrett Crochet, who last threw off a mound on Tuesday, worked out at Polar Park in Worcester on Thursday and will continue to throw on flat ground on Friday before the team decides whether to introduce any higher-intensity activities over the weekend.
Tracy said there’s been no discussion about the lefthander pitching in a rehab game for the WooSox this weekend. He didn’t rule out the possibility Crochet could soon face hitters in a live batting practice session, but made clear that there is no known schedule involving the 27-year-old.
“It all depends on how he’s feeling. … He’s been down so long,” said Tracy. “It is day to day. [Friday he’ll] throw, see how he feels, and then determine what the weekend holds.”
Righthander Tyron Guerrero, whose return from shoulder inflammation was delayed slightly by lower back cramps, had a high-intensity throwing session on flat ground. He’s expected to throw off a mound Friday, when the Sox open a three-game series at Tampa Bay, a potential prelude to activation later in the weekend. “The shoulder feels great, the arm feels great,” said Guerrero.
Ceddanne Rafaela is increasing (right quad strain) is increasing his agility work but, at this point, there’s “no discernible timeline yet on game action,” according to Tracy. It hasn’t been determined if the center fielder will join the Sox in Tampa.
Oviedo in Worcester
Righthander Johan Oviedo (right elbow strain), pitching in an official game for the first time since March 30, struck out four batters while sitting at 96 miles per hour and touching 99 with his four-seamer in 2⅓ innings in a rehab appearance for the WooSox. He threw 20 of 30 pitches for strikes … Ranger Suarez will start for the Sox on Friday, but the Sox have yet to decide who will start the other two games against the Rays. Payton Tolle, Patrick Sandoval, and Brayan Bello are all considerations … The Red Sox will send two scouts to New York for next week’s four-game Yankees-Rays series, the start of the team’s in-person advance scouting efforts for the postseason.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.