Knowing that veteran reliever Liam Hendriks would be out for a large chunk of the season, the Boston Red Sox signed him in the offseason. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023 while playing with the Chicago White Sox, Hendriks joined the team and started his rehab assignment in August. Hendriks suffered a setback in his recuperation despite playing in six games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, pitching five innings overall and registering unspectacular numbers.
The 35-year-old Hendriks had an MRI on his elbow, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora has hinted that it’s more likely than not that the team will shut him down for the rest of the season. It is unlikely that Hendriks will play again this season with just 16 games remaining.
The three-time All-Star Hendriks still has one year left on his Boston contract, and he has a mutual option for the 2026 campaign. His only appearances since the end of the 2022 season have been in five games due to his recent hardships, which include his fight with cancer and the UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery. These obstacles make it unlikely that Hendriks will be able to reach his prior level of play by 2025, which could make the Red Sox’s bullpen problems worse in the future.
The Red Sox have a lot of concerns about their bullpen going into next season. The incertitude surrounding Hendriks’ recuperation exacerbates worries about the team’s plans for handling their pitching shortage in the forthcoming campaign.
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