Mead ditched his cast last week after follow-up imagining on his fractured left wrist came back negative. He had been performing strength and mobility exercises and has now progressed to light on-field baseball activities. Mead could be ready to return to Boston's active roster around mid-September if all goes well, but he still has lots of rehab boxes to check before making that a reality.

Mead has been able to transition out of the cast he was wearing to protect his injured hand and is now donning a splint. Though he's not yet ready to take part in full baseball activities, ditching the cast at least represents a step forward in the recovery process. The 25-year-old would still appear to have a chance at making it back from the injured list around mid-to-late September.