Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall has been diagnosed with a distal radius fracture in his left wrist, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) prior to Monday’s series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Duvall injured his left wrist in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in Detroit. To lead off the bottom half of the frame, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen got Spencer Torkelson to lift a 244-foot flyball to shallow center field. Duvall ran in and attempted to make a sliding catch to rob Torkelson of a base hit, but he instead landed awkwardly on his left wrist and was immediately taken out of the game as a result.
After having X-rays taken at Comerica Park, Duvall did not travel with the rest of the team to St. Petersburg and instead headed back to Boston to undergo further testing. The Red Sox will now place Duvall on the injured list and recall infielder Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester to take his place on the roster.
Duvall, 34, signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox in January to serve as the club’s everyday center fielder. The right-handed hitting slugger quickly made his impact felt by slashing a stout .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts in his first eight games (37 plate appearances) with Boston. He was named American League Player of the Week last Monday.
Though his wrist is broken, it is not yet clear if Duvall will require surgery. The Red Sox, as noted by Browne, will continue to gather more information before coming to a decision on that front. Regardless of that outcome, though, Duvall is still expected to be sidelined for the next several weeks, if not months.
This is the second time within the last year that Duvall has seriously injured his left wrist. While with the Braves last July, he jammed it against the outfield wall at Truist Park and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath. According to Cora, this most-recent injury happened on the opposite side of Duvall’s left wrist and is unrelated to last year’s tear.
With Duvall out of commission for the foreseeable future, Cora said Enrique Hernandez, Raimel Tapia, and Rob Refsnyder will get more time in center field in his absence. Refsnyder is batting fifth and starting in center for Boston on Monday night.
Since Hernandez is slated to play more center field, Dalbec, Christian Arroyo, and Yu Chang will see more playing time at shortstop moving forward. Dalbec will also get some reps in the outfield alongside Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo in the corners.
Duvall, meanwhile, becomes the eighth member of the Red Sox’ 40-man roster to be placed on the injured list so far this season, joining the likes of starters Brayan Bello, James Paxton, and Garrett Whitlock, relievers Wyatt Mills and Joely Rodriguez, and infielders Adalberto Mondesi and Trevor Story.
“At one point, we hope, he comes back, just like all of the guys who are on the IL,” Cora said, via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “Hopefully, they can contribute throughout the season and help us accomplish what we set out to accomplish.”
(Picture of Adam Duvall: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
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