If the Pawtucket Red Sox weren’t already fielding the most expensive minor league team in baseball history, Friday’s roster should put them over the top.

Add Pablo Sandoval to the list.

He’ll be joining the Triple-A PawSox to begin a rehab assignment and work his way back from a sprained right knee.

“I don’t know how much time I’m going to need,” Sandoval said Wednesday in St. Louis, where the Red Sox completed a two-game sweep before heading to Oakland for a weekend series. “I just want to focus to have a nice rehab and feel healthy.

“That’s one of the things that I’m looking forward to, feeling 100 percent to be back on the field and play the game.”

With David Price ($30 million salary in 2017) scheduled to make a rehab start for Pawtucket on Friday in Buffalo, Sandoval ($17 million) will join a team that also includes Allen Craig ($11 million), Rusney Castillo ($10.5 million) and Brock Holt ($1.95 million), among others, for a total payroll of more than $70 million. By comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays’ payroll was less than $70 million on Opening Day.

How Price comes out of that start will determine if he’s ready to join Boston for his next start five days later.

For Sandoval, it’s just the beginning.

“I’m going to be in the DH spot the first couple of games. I want to see how the knee reacts,” he said. “As soon as I feel better, I’ll jump to third.”

Sandoval said he’s been pain-free in his knee after resting for nearly a month. He hasn’t played since April 23.

“He’s been down roughly four weeks now, so there’s going to be some timing to regain at the plate,” said Red Sox Manager John Farrel. “Want to see the mobility and the range at third base. We don’t have a date marked that he’s returning to us but he needs to get some repetition.”

Farrell hasn’t been able to find a consistently productive third baseman this year.

Sandoval was hitting just .213 with four errors in 17 games before he got hurt.

“I felt good when I was healthy, so that’s one of the things that I’m looking forward to after last year,” he said. “It’s one of the things that I can handle. If I’m healthy, then I can play right.”

Price was scheduled to pitch Sunday for Pawtucket but that game was rained out. Instead he threw a simulated game indoors to keep him on a five-day schedule. He’s expected to throw about 90 pitches Friday.