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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2024 16:57:07 GMT -5
Red Sox place another starting pitcher on IL, think it’ll be a short stint
Published: Apr. 17, 2024, 5:36 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — One day after leaving his start after just 54 pitches over four innings, Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock is hitting the injured list.
Whitlock has a “slight” left oblique strain and will be placed on the 15-day IL prior to Wednesday’s game, manager Alex Cora said. To take his roster spot, left-handed reliever Joe Jacques has been recalled. Cora is hopeful Whitlock will be able to return to the rotation after spending the minimum 15 days inactive; his earliest return date is May 2, when the Red Sox face the Giants in the final game of a six-game homestand.
Whitlock felt oblique discomfort during his outing against Cleveland on Tuesday night. Head athletic trainer Brandon Henry noticed and pushed Cora to take the right-hander out of the game early. Though Whitlock said he was “not worried” about the issue and thought being pulled was precautionary, the Red Sox feel like shutting him down for two weeks is the prudent move.
Cora said the club is not concerned about the long-term future of Whitlock, who was on the IL three different times last year and was limited to just 71 ⅔ innings. The 27-year-old has been a bright spot for the Sox so far this season, posting a 1.96 ERA in his first four starts.
The Red Sox plan to shut Whitlock down from throwing for a few days.
“This one is not difficult,” Cora said. “He kinda fought it because of that. I was like, ‘You don’t have to prove to people you can stay healthy because of that. This is on us.’ We’re actually taking it away from his hands. It’s early enough that it doesn’t make sense to push him. Something worse might happen.
“We’ll take care of him the next, hopefully, 15 days, and he’ll be ready.”
Whitlock is the second Red Sox starter to be placed on the IL in the last eight days, joining fellow righty Nick Pivetta. Pivetta, who has a mild flexor strain in his pitching elbow, is ramping up his throwing program and could throw a bullpen in the coming days. Though it’s not likely Pivetta returns to the rotation when he’s first eligible Sunday in Pittsburgh, he’s not far off. Until he does return, the Red Sox have two vacancies in their rotation.
Cora said the club still has to determine its starter for Thursday’s matinee series finale against Cleveland, though Cooper Criswell, who started Saturday, is an obvious candidate. Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford are in line to pitch on regular rest Friday and Saturday against the Pirates, but the Red Sox will need someone for Sunday’s series finale at PNC Park. After that, they plan to take advantage of Monday’s off day to reset the group; Boston has three off days in an 11-day span from April 29-May 9. Tanner Houck, Bello and Crawford will be on normal rest to pitch in Cleveland next week.
Criswell and long reliever Chase Anderson are the top options to make starts in Whitlock’s absence; at Triple-A, recent trade acquisition Naoyuki Uwasawa and journeyman Jason Alexander could get the call. Reliever Josh Winckowski is not under consideration to move to a starting role.
“We’ll see how it goes in the upcoming days,” Cora said. “We’ve got an off day after Pittsburgh. The schedule is gonna give us a blow there. We’ll see what we do.”
Whitlock is the 11th Red Sox player — and seventh pitcher — currently on the IL.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 18, 2024 12:05:52 GMT -5
Red Sox Place Tyler O’Neill On Injured List
By Anthony Franco | April 18, 2024 at 11:54am CDT
The Red Sox announced they’ve placed Tyler O’Neill on the seven-day concussion injured list, retroactive to April 16. Rob Refsnyder was reinstated from the IL to take the active roster spot.
O’Neill suffered the injury on Monday when he collided with Rafael Devers while tracking a shallow fly ball. O’Neill’s forehead hit the back of Devers’ head. Devers stayed in the game but O’Neill came out. While he initially cleared concussion protocol, he hasn’t played in either of the last two games. He’s evidently still not ready to return and will be out for at least another five days. MassLive’s Christopher Smith tweets that O’Neill was diagnosed with a mild concussion.
Acquired in something of a buy-low offseason trade, O’Neill has been off to a scorching start to his Red Sox tenure. He’s hitting .313/.459/.750 and is third in the majors with seven homers. O’Neill showed impact ability intermittently throughout his time with the Cardinals, but he’d produced at a roughly league average level from 2022-23. He’ll be a free agent for the first time at the end of this season.
In other injury news, manager Alex Cora said the Sox are sending Devers for an MRI on his left knee (relayed by Sean McAdam of MassLive). The two-time All-Star has played through some discomfort in the joint in recent days, although there’s nothing to suggest it’s related to Monday’s collision. He was the designated hitter yesterday but is out of the lineup for this afternoon’s contest with the Guardians.
It seems the current round of imaging is mostly precautionary. The Sox surely want to rule out any possibility that Devers is playing through some kind of structural issue that would necessitate a shutdown. He’s still day-to-day pending the MRI results.
Devers has gotten off to a slow start. He’s hitting only .188 through his first 13 games. A massive 15.5% walk rate has kept his on-base percentage at a respectable clip, but Devers clearly hasn’t found his typical form. His hard contact percentage has been well below his normal level. It’s likely that playing through discomfort — he also battled shoulder soreness around Opening Day — has contributed to the slump. Assuming there’s nothing significantly wrong with his knee, Devers shouldn’t have much issue recapturing his groove offensively.
There’s nevertheless added uncertainty to an already shaky Boston infield. Devers and Triston Casas flank a much less imposing middle infield group. Injuries to Vaughn Grissom and Trevor Story have pushed the likes of Enmanuel Valdez, Pablo Reyes and David Hamilton into meaningful roles. Story is out for the season, so shortstop will remain a question all year unless the Sox go outside the organization.
Grissom, who started the year on the shelf with a hamstring strain, will take over second base within two weeks. He began a minor league rehab assignment last Friday, opening a 20-day window for his activation to the MLB roster. Cora said this morning that the Sox aren’t likely to reinstate Grissom before their forthcoming week-long road trip (X link via The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey). Grissom didn’t get any game action in March, so he’s using the rehab period as something of an abbreviated Spring Training.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 18, 2024 18:50:51 GMT -5
Red Sox To Select Cam Booser
By Darragh McDonald | April 18, 2024 at 5:35pm CDT
Left-hander Cam Booser is joining the Red Sox in Pittsburgh tomorrow, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. The lefty will be added to the club’s 40-man roster, per Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster, who adds that lefty Joe Jacques will be optioned to open a spot on the active roster. The Sox will also need to open a 40-man roster spot but could do so easily by transferring Trevor Story to the 60-day injured list, since he will miss the rest of the year due to shoulder surgery.
Booser will crack a major league roster for the first time at an usually old age, as his 32nd birthday is just a few weeks away. It’s a testament to his determination that he will make it to the show after all these years, as he made his minor league debut over a decade ago, playing Rookie ball in the Twins’ system in 2013. After a few years in the minors, he topped out at High-A in 2017, not pitching in any official capacity for the next few years.
He resurfaced with the Chicago Dogs, an indy ball team, in 2021. He tossed 23 1/3 innings with a 1.93 earned run average for the Dogs that year and showed enough promise to get a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks for 2022. He tossed 25 innings in Double-A but struggled with a 6.48 ERA and got released. He then joined the Lancaster Barnstormers, another indy ball club, and tossed 11 2/3 innings with a 4.63 ERA.
He was able to secure himself a minor league contract with the Red Sox for 2023 and made 48 Triple-A appearances last year. He had a 4.99 ERA in his 57 2/3 innings, striking out 26.7% of batters faced while walking 9.7%. He received an invite to major league camp in 2024 and seemed to impress manager Álex Cora, as the skipper mentioned him to reporters last month, highlighting his high-90s fastball and ability to throw offspeed pitches in the zone.
It was around that same time during Spring Training that Ian Browne of MLB.com profiled the lefty. Booser apparently retired at the end of the 2017 season following several injuries, a marijuana suspension and “self-admitted attitude problems.” He then turned his attention to a carpentry career but stumbled back onto the mound by doing lessons with kids and rediscovering his past form.
“After the kiddos would leave, I would stay in the dark and throw into a net by myself for a couple of months. And through that process, I found out that my arm felt better than it ever had with that time off. One day, I got on the mound and my fastball was pretty good, 97-98 [mph]. So we figured, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ I met with a trainer back home the next day and went out there to [independent] ball in 2021, and it’s been a great journey ever since.”
Booser didn’t break camp with the Sox but reported to Triple-A and has thrown 6 2/3 innings over four appearances this year, allowing two earned runs while striking out 15 opponents against just one walk. Though he obviously didn’t take the traditional path, Booser has found his way to the big leagues in amazingly unique fashion. The Sox have Brennan Bernardino and Joely Rodríguez in their bullpen but Booser will give them a third southpaw option.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 19, 2024 5:04:12 GMT -5
Red Sox Acquire Vladimir Gutierrez
By Steve Adams | April 18, 2024 at 9:14pm CDT
The Red Sox announced Thursday evening that they’ve acquired right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez from the Brewers in exchange for cash and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. Milwaukee designated Gutierrez for assignment earlier in the week. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Boston transferred injured shortstop Trevor Story from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Story underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last week. The Sox also announced that lefty Joe Jacques was optioned to Worcester following today’s game.
The 28-year-old Gutierrez originally signed with the Reds on a hefty $4.75MM bonus (plus a 100% tax on that bonus) in 2016 after defecting from his native Cuba. He profiled as one of Cincinnati’s top pitching prospects for a few years before making his MLB debut in 2021. The 6’1″, 205-pound righty pitched 150 2/3 innings for the Reds from 2021-22, turning in a 5.44 ERA with a 17.3% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate that were both worse than league-average.
Despite those struggles, Gutierrez would likely have received a longer look with the Reds — had he remained healthy. His elbow had other ideas, as a torn ulnar collateral ligament in ’22 led to Tommy John surgery. Gutierrez returned to the mound to toss a handful of minor league innings last September but didn’t get back to the big leagues. He was removed from Cincinnati’s 40-man roster and became a free agent following the season. After a few showcases for big league scouts, he signed a minor league deal with the Marlins.
It’s been a whirlwind three weeks for Gutierrez, who was selected to the Marlins’ 40-man roster and pitched four innings of long relief to help spare their taxed bullpen. That four-inning appearance meant he’d be unavailable for several days, so the Fish designated him for assignment to clear space for another fresh arm in the ’pen. Miami surely hoped to be able to pass Gutierrez through waivers and keep him as a depth option, but the Brewers scooped him up off waivers on April 5. He was rocked for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in his lone Triple-A start with Milwaukee, who designated Gutierrez themselves in order to bring fellow righty Tobias Myers up to the MLB roster.
Now with his third team in a span of three weeks, Gutierrez will hope to get into a groove in Worcester and pitch his way into a big league opportunity. The Red Sox lost Lucas Giolito for the season before Opening Day, and they’ve more recently placed Garrett Whitlock (oblique strain) and Nick Pivetta (flexor strain) on the injured list. That leaves the Sox with a rotation including Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Cooper Criswell. Veteran Chase Anderson is on hand as a long man in the ’pen and could move into the rotation following Whitlock’s IL placement just yesterday. Gutierrez joins lefty Brandon Walter and righty Naoyuki Uwasawa as a rotation depth option on the 40-man roster.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 19, 2024 8:02:36 GMT -5
Sam Kennedy addresses John Henry, Tom Werner absences from Larry Lucchino's funeral By Logan Mullen, Audacy WEEI 93.7 17 hours ago
John Henry and Tom Werner were absent from Larry Lucchino’s funeral, a bad look from an optics standpoint for a duo that has had its share of public missteps lately.
MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported that neither Henry nor Werner attended the services of their former business partner, who died earlier this month at the age of 78. Lucchino played an integral role in the revitalization of Fenway Park after Henry and Co. took over ownership of the team. He also played a key role in moving the Triple-A team from Pawtucket to Worcester.
Lucchino also had a similar impact in Baltimore and San Diego, with the building of Petco Park and Camden Yards happening while he was with the Padres and Orioles, respectively.
In any event, it was not a good look for Henry or Werner that they weren’t at Lucchino’s services -- though McAdam had reported Henry was sick. Neither Henry nor Werner make regular public appearances, leaving Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy to answer for their absences during an appearance Thursday on The Greg Hill Show.
“Yeah, look, the reporting was accurate,” Kennedy conceded. “Unfortunately John was indeed sick, he was quite sick, and Tom was out of the country.
“Given what Larry meant to us in the front office – worked with this guy for 25-plus years, he led us to three World Series champs in Boston, and San Diego we went to the World Series together against the Yankees in 1998 when we were with the Padres. He built Camden Yards.
“I think the discussion and the focus on the funeral, the ceremony or the service, I just wouldn’t ever want to take away from what this guy achieved, what he meant to all of us who knew him personally and professionally. What he meant to those communities, Baltimore, San Diego and Boston, and then ultimately Worcester. It’s amazing that his final achievement secure the home of the Triple-A Red Sox forever.
“Just an incredible guy, he wasn’t always the easiest guy to work for, I can tell you that, but we loved him and he loved all of us, and he especially loved Dana Farber and this community.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 19, 2024 13:10:03 GMT -5
The Red Sox seem to have a long way to go and a short time to get thereBy Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 4 hours ago The Red Sox are .500 after 20 games. The Red Sox are just 3 1/2 games out of first-place, but also in last-place. The Red Sox are plus-four in run differential, 13 runs better than both the Blue Jays and Rays, but 36 worse than the Kansas City Royals. The Red Sox are also maybe the most confusing team in all of Major League Baseball The sky-high as the vibes upon heading home following their 7-3, season-opening road trip have been washed away thanks to a 3-7, injury-riddled, defensively-inept home stand. Over the course of the 10 games at Fenway Park, only one team gave up as many runs as the Red Sox (57) with no club coming close to their number of unearned runs (17) or errors (12). The lineup Alex Cora put out for the series finale had little sense of certainty or star power, as was somewhat portrayed by its earning power. But, once again, this is a team that heads to Pittsburgh sitting with a respectable record. It's also the exact same mark they had after 20 games last season. So, how can the Red Sox find themselves taking the right path in this early-season fork in the road. Here are some possible solutions: - First and foremost, they have to find the version of Rafael Devers that we saw throughout spring training. Right now Devers is dealing with a bone bruise in his knee, having seemingly just put his shoulder ailment in the rearview mirror. One look comparing Devers' Baseball Savant pages from last season to this year tells somewhat of the tale ... And even before the knee issue, Devers' defense seemed to have taken a turn for the worse without the security blanket of Trevor Story alongside him. In short, they need to get the star of this team being a star once again. - Tyler O'Neill has been the best position player on this club, and how he is on the seven-day injured list with a mild concussion. The hope is that he will be ready to go when the Red Sox play in Cleveland Tuesday. While Devers' absence is an obvious blow, not having the player who led all of baseball in home runs and OPS at the time of his injury Monday was a painful dose of reality - both offensively and defensively - over the course of the week. - The Red Sox have to define what they have in Masa Yoshida. At this point, not prioritizing the presence of Justin Turner (.943 OPS with the Blue Jays) for the designated hitter spot seems like a big miss. But the reality is that the Sox dug in on their strategy of Yoshida being an almost-full-time DH early in the offseason, basically telling him to worry about his bat and not his glove. But guess who has the worst OPS right now fro that DH spot? Yup, the Red Sox, who sit with a miserable mark of .505 with a total of just two extra-base hits. Not good. Not sustainable. - The Red Sox need Wilyer Abreu to be good, which he has shown signs of being over the past week. This another case of the Sox putting their a lot of eggs in a certain basket, particularly if there is any inclination to move Ceddanne Rafaela to shortstop. An outfield of O'Neill, Abreu and Jarren Duran is certainly palatable, while seemingly offering a defensive upgrade at the most important position - short. - Perhaps the best plan in terms of trying to fix what ails this team is this: Once O'Neill is back, move Rafaela to shortstop. Assuming his rehab sting goes as planned, plant Vaughn Grissom at second base. And then ride it out. The scenario has the most upside, which is something Cora's team is starved for right now. There is also the matter of getting Rafaela to hit major league pitching, which leads us to another uncomfortable Baseball Savant page ... It would seem for a second straight year we are being forced to the example of being patient with Dustin Pedroia in April, 2007. Last year, it was Triston Casas. This time around, it's Rafaela. - It's hard to argue with anything the starting pitchers are doing. They are the straw that is stirring this drink. In fact, one of the few miscues might have been made Thursday in not simply letting Cooper Criswell execute the usual routine of a starter instead of bringing him in after Brennan Bernarndino. Don't mess with what is working, and when it comes to rolling out the likes of Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, Nick Pivetta and even Criswell, it sure seems to be working just fine. One example of what we're talking about: The Red Sox starters own the second-most wins in all of baseball (7) to go along with their MLB-best 1.82 ERA. - As for the bullpen? This is another work in progress, but one that would seem to have more optimism surrounding it than its position-playing counterpart. Kenley Jansen is sifting through life without a spring training, as is Chris Martin. Justin Slaten has been a revelation, and Bernardino is the pitcher we thought he was, even after the Red Sox chose to send him to Triple-A to begin the season. And how we have some more intrigue: Cam Booser. The lefty who retired from baseball for a bit and has now resurfaced throwing in the high-90's, has followed up a dominant spring training with more excellence with Worcester. And how he is a major leaguer. - If you're looking for an early-season theme for this Red Sox team, try this one on for size from the Jerry Reed song, 'East Bound and Down': "We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 19, 2024 16:52:02 GMT -5
Gabrielle Starr @gfstarr1 The Red Sox starting rotation:
- leads MLB in ERA (1.82), WHIP (0.99), opponent AVG (.203) - 5th in walks and strikeouts (107) - averaging 5 2/3 innings per start (T-7)
And yet:
- 10 no-decisions (T-2) - 4.2 run support/game from the lineup is 12th-worst & below league-average
How the entire Red Sox pitching staff ranks among AL teams:
4.05 runs allowed/game - 5th 2.2 HR% - T-5 24.6 SO% - 4th 6.9 BB% - T-3 5.7 XBH% - 1st 4:16 PM · Apr 19, 2024
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:14:51 GMT -5
Dave McCarty Passes Away
By Anthony Franco | April 19, 2024 at 5:50pm CDT
Former major league first baseman/outfielder Dave McCarty has passed away after a cardiac event, the Red Sox announced. He was 54.
A Stanford product, McCarty was the third overall pick in the 1991 draft by the Twins. Baseball America ranked the 6’5″ right-handed hitter as a top 25 prospect in the sport over the next two seasons. McCarty reached the majors in May ’93. He played parts of three seasons in Minnesota, hitting .226/.275/.310 before being traded to the Reds. Cincinnati flipped McCarty to the Giants around six weeks later. He played parts of two seasons with San Francisco before again finding himself on the move, this time to Seattle.
McCarty had his most productive year in 2000 with the Royals. He appeared in a career-high 103 games and turned in a .278/.329/.478 batting line with 12 homers. He bounced to the Devil Rays and A’s before landing with the Red Sox on a waiver claim in 2003. McCarty played in 89 games as a role player for the World Series winning team the following season. He hit four homers, including a walk-off shot to center field against the Mariners in May. He finished his playing career after the ’05 season and worked as an analyst on NESN for the next few years.
Over parts of 11 years in the majors, McCarty played in 630 games. He hit .242/.305/.371 with 36 home runs, 68 doubles and 175 RBI. He suited up for seven teams, saw some action in the postseason in 2003, and collected a World Series ring the following year. MLBTR joins others around the game in sending our condolences to the McCarty family, his friends and former teammates.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 20, 2024 6:57:56 GMT -5
Gabrielle Starr @gfstarr1 The Red Sox starting rotation:
- leads MLB in ERA (1.82), WHIP (0.99), opponent AVG (.203) - 5th in walks and strikeouts (107) - averaging 5 2/3 innings per start (T-7)
And yet:
- 10 no-decisions (T-2) - 4.2 run support/game from the lineup is 12th-worst & below league-average
How the entire Red Sox pitching staff ranks among AL teams:
4.05 runs allowed/game - 5th 2.2 HR% - T-5 24.6 SO% - 4th 6.9 BB% - T-3 5.7 XBH% - 1st 4:16 PM · Apr 19, 2024 Our starting rotation has been great. If I'm not mistaken, as a staff, we have given up fewer earned runs than unearned runs. Yikes on our defense, who looked so good very early on. Also, yikes on our baserunning.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 20, 2024 11:01:54 GMT -5
Gabrielle Starr @gfstarr1 The Red Sox starting rotation:
- leads MLB in ERA (1.82), WHIP (0.99), opponent AVG (.203) - 5th in walks and strikeouts (107) - averaging 5 2/3 innings per start (T-7)
And yet:
- 10 no-decisions (T-2) - 4.2 run support/game from the lineup is 12th-worst & below league-average
How the entire Red Sox pitching staff ranks among AL teams:
4.05 runs allowed/game - 5th 2.2 HR% - T-5 24.6 SO% - 4th 6.9 BB% - T-3 5.7 XBH% - 1st 4:16 PM · Apr 19, 2024 Our starting rotation has been great. If I'm not mistaken, as a staff, we have given up fewer earned runs than unearned runs. Yikes on our defense, who looked so good very early on. Also, yikes on our baserunning. The league average is 89 runs and 79 unearned runs. We have allowed 82 and 56, meaning the league averages 10 unearned runs, and we've allowed 26. That ' s incredible.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2024 5:12:28 GMT -5
Triston Casas Undergoing Testing Following Early Exit
By Nick Deeds | April 20, 2024 at 8:29pm CDT
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to what the club has termed left rib discomfort. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora indicated to reporters after the game that he was “concerned” about Casas’s injury and that the first baseman had left the ballpark to undergo further testing. While it’s not entirely clear how serious Casas’s injury is, it appears the club is at least preparing for the possibility that an IL stint will be required as Cotillo also reports that journeyman catcher Tyler Heineman is set to join the club in Pittsburgh tomorrow as the only healthy position player on the club’s 40-man roster who isn’t already on the active roster.
If Casas were to miss an extended period of time, it would be brutal news for the Red Sox. The 24-year-old slugger has gotten off to an excellent start so far this season with a .244/.337/.513 slash line with six home runs in just 89 trips to the plate. The youngster’s strong numbers early in the 2024 season are a continuation of his hot second half last year, when he slashed an incredible .317/.417/.617 in 211 trips to the plate after the All Star break.
It’s the latest in a series of injury woes for Boston, as the club has already lost Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, Tyler O’Neill, and Romy Gonzalez to the injured list while Rafael Devers has missed each of the last three games after dealing with discomfort in his left knee earlier this week that eventually required him to be sent for an MRI. If even one of Devers or Casas, the Red Sox would be stretched incredible thin in terms of infield depth, and IL stints for both of the club’s regular corner infielders would leave the club with a patchwork infield involving none of the club’s on-paper starters on the first.
Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela has taken over at shortstop in recent days following Story’s injury, while Enmanuel Valdez has filled in for Grissom at second base to this point in the season. Bobby Dalbec has filled in for Devers at third base in recent days and has plenty of experience at first that could allow him to replace Casas as needed, leaving the likes of Pablo Reyes and David Hamilton to act as utility infielders off the bench and/or handle the hot corner in Devers’ stead if necessary.
Cotillo also notes that outfielder Rob Refsnyder took reps at first base while rehabbing earlier this season, but the 33-year-old hasn’t appeared on the infield dirt since 2018 and any appearances on the infield would further deplete an outfield mix that has already lost Rafaela to the infield and O’Neill to the injured list. With that being said, depth options such as Dalton Guthrie and Eddy Alvarez are available at the Triple-A level to be called up if necessary, though neither is currently on the 40-man roster and would therefore require a corresponding move to be made in order for Boston to select their respective contracts.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2024 5:39:09 GMT -5
Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen, a free agent after the season, is ‘committed to this team and having success’ By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 20, 2024, 8:57 p.m.
PITTSBURGH — It came as a surprise when the Red Sox signed Liam Hendriks to a one-year contract back on Feb. 20.
Hendriks was recovering from Tommy John surgery and wouldn’t be ready to pitch until July. And the Sox already had a closer in Kenley Jansen.
The two have since become pretty good friends, but not for the reasons you might think.
“We don’t talk too much about pitching,” Jansen said Saturday before the Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2. “We’re friends who talk about our lives and our families and things like that.”
Hendriks overcame stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last year, something Jansen was curious about given his own issues with an irregular heartbeat over the years.
“Scary episode for him,” Jansen said. “We’ve talked more about that. He’s a great guy.”
Of course they have plenty in common on the field, too.
Jansen is a 36-year-old, four-time All-Star with 425 saves who came to the United States from Curacao to play baseball.
Hendriks is a 35-year-old, three-time All-Star with 116 saves who left Australia to chase his baseball goals.
“I would say there was mutual respect before we became teammates,” Jansen said. “But other than to say hello, we didn’t really know each other well. I’ve enjoyed being around him. This is a young team and he’s my age. We relate to each other.”
That’s what makes the next part weird.
Jansen will be a free agent after the season and it could very well make sense to trade him in July and get a prospect or two back. Hendriks, who had a throwing session before the game on Saturday, should be ready to pitch by then.
Replacing one All-Star closer with another while improving your organizational depth sounds like something chief baseball officer Craig Breslow would jump at.
Jansen acknowledged that was something on his mind when the Sox signed Hendriks. But he has since pushed it aside.
“Thinking that way puts me in a miserable spot,” Jansen said. “I’ve learned that lesson. I don’t want to think about that again. I just want to be happy every day.
“This is a great group of guys, good people. I enjoy this team. I want to be happy and help us win. That’s it, just be happy.”
Jansen has had a strange season. He’s 5 for 6 in converting save chances and opponents are 4 for 26 (.154) with 12 strikeouts.
But he also has walked eight, hit one, and thrown a wild pitch. He’s been successful and shaky at the same time.
“I’ve had a tough stretch. I didn’t pitch well. I understand that,” Jansen said. “But I’m committed to this team and having success. I still feel we can accomplish a lot, including making the playoffs.”
Closers live a strange baseball life. They have a narrowly defined job that usually ends with a victory. When the team is in a slump, they just watch.
Jansen wants to play as long as he can, but he also knows closers have an expiration date. He struck out the side Saturday, getting his cutter up to 95.1 miles per hour, a good sign.
“Getting there,” he said. “As long as I stay healthy, I know I’ll be OK.”
Jansen’s goal is to get to 500 saves, which could be a reach. But he needs only 13 more to move into fourth place all time behind Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Lee Smith.
“I know where I am. But you have to separate that and not let it be a distraction,” Jansen said. “I’ve been playing this game a while now. If you think about how close you are to a milestone, it’s not going to help you get there.”
If the Red Sox are out of contention, Jansen could welcome a trade because it would bring more save chances.
He’d rather stay in Boston and pitch with Hendriks.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Jansen said. “But if you ask me, I want to stay here and help this team win.”
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 21, 2024 8:14:30 GMT -5
Our starting rotation has been great. If I'm not mistaken, as a staff, we have given up fewer earned runs than unearned runs. Yikes on our defense, who looked so good very early on. Also, yikes on our baserunning. The league average is 89 runs and 79 unearned runs. We have allowed 82 and 56, meaning the league averages 10 unearned runs, and we've allowed 26. That ' s incredible. That is incredible. Shout out to our starters who have been great beyond expectations so far. Shout out to Bailey who seems to have found the magic potion.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 21, 2024 8:17:50 GMT -5
Triston Casas Undergoing Testing Following Early Exit
By Nick Deeds | April 20, 2024 at 8:29pm CDT Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to what the club has termed left rib discomfort. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora indicated to reporters after the game that he was “concerned” about Casas’s injury and that the first baseman had left the ballpark to undergo further testing. While it’s not entirely clear how serious Casas’s injury is, it appears the club is at least preparing for the possibility that an IL stint will be required as Cotillo also reports that journeyman catcher Tyler Heineman is set to join the club in Pittsburgh tomorrow as the only healthy position player on the club’s 40-man roster who isn’t already on the active roster. Yikes. No knock on Heineman, but that's the best we can do? A journeyman back up catcher?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2024 8:54:27 GMT -5
Triston Casas Undergoing Testing Following Early Exit
By Nick Deeds | April 20, 2024 at 8:29pm CDT Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to what the club has termed left rib discomfort. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora indicated to reporters after the game that he was “concerned” about Casas’s injury and that the first baseman had left the ballpark to undergo further testing. While it’s not entirely clear how serious Casas’s injury is, it appears the club is at least preparing for the possibility that an IL stint will be required as Cotillo also reports that journeyman catcher Tyler Heineman is set to join the club in Pittsburgh tomorrow as the only healthy position player on the club’s 40-man roster who isn’t already on the active roster. Yikes. No knock on Heineman, but that's the best we can do? A journeyman back up catcher? Full Throttle
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