Hanigan (neck) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Thursday, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.
Analysis:
The 35-year-old backstop has been rehabbing a neck strain since early June, but he's been able to progress at a relatively quick rate. A rehab assignment is next on the docket for Hanigan, and it could happen as soon as Thursday. Once he begins the rehab assignment, he'll likely only need a handful of games to be ready to come off the DL. That said, the Red Sox will have an interesting decision regarding their catching situation once Hanigan is ready to return given that Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon have both played well of late.
