Swihart looks ahead to winter rehab, spring ball

BOSTON -- Blake Swihart was in high spirits as he rolled into the Red Sox clubhouse on a knee scooter before taking a seat at his locker on Sunday. The catcher/left fielder had a successful left ankle surgery on Aug. 15 and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Sporting a cast on his left leg, Swihart said it's his last day rolling around before switching to a walking boot.
"It's like a knee scooter or something. So, I just wheel around," Swihart said. "This thing goes downhill, my dog pulls me on it, it's good."
Swihart sprained his left ankle colliding into the left-field wall at Fenway Park on June 4. He was just beginning to find a groove, batting .258/.365/.355 before the season-ending surgery.
The 24-year-old has the green light to begin lifting weights once his cast is off and will spend most of the offseason rehabbing. Due to Swihart's lengthy recovery process, Red Sox manager John Farrell said winter ball is unlikely to make up for any lost at-bats.
"[Offseason] is going to be rehab-based," Farrell said. "We expect him to be ready to go in Spring Training. He's in a pretty delicate phase right now, allowing that surgery to heal. Once he comes out of being immobilized, then the next phase of rehab and range of motion starts to kick in."
Swihart was the primary Red Sox catcher for the 2015 season, batting .274/.319/.392. This year, he caught six games behind the plate before moving to left field. Swihart said he doesn't have a preference on either position.
"Whatever gets me on the field, that's all that matters," Swihart said.