Tag: injuries

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell likely done for season after being placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

The 2024 season is likely over for top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell, who was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list on Tuesday.

Campbell suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first in the third inning of Worcester’s 7-0 win over the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park last Wednesday. The 22-year-old has not been ruled out entirely in the event that the WooSox advance to the International League playoffs, but the Red Sox will err on the side of caution, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

“I think the most important thing for him right now is to go into the offseason fully healthy so he can train this winter,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham told Speier. “I think we need to be smart here. We’re going to make sure we’re thinking about the longer term and bigger picture versus the shorter term.

“We’re going to obviously trust our group and our staff and Kristian to see how he feels and go from there,” added Abraham, “but I would not be surprised if we end up taking the decision out of his hands and making sure that he’s healthy going into the offseason.”

Campbell, the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, was not ranked as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline to begin his first full professional season. After working to add strength and bat speed to better impact the baseball over the winter, the right-handed hitter broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring and batted .306/.418/.558 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 40 games (177 plate appearances) before receiving a promotion to Double-A Portland in early June.

Playing alongside The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel in Portland, Campbell slashed .362/.463/.582 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games (255 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. He was then promoted again to Worcester on August 20 and posted a .286/.412/.486 line with four homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games (85 plate appearances) before being shut down this week.

So, between his three stops at Greenville, Portland, and Worcester, Campbell — nicknamed ‘Barry Bonds’ by his teammates — batted a stout .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 94 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 103 strikeouts in 115 games (517 plate appearances) this season. On the other side of the ball, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder started at least one game at four different positions. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs Defensive Player of the Year. With the WooSox, he logged 100 innings at shortstop, 26 innings at third base, 19 innings in center field, and 14 innings at second base.

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline has the Georgia native ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 74 prospect in baseball. Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Keith Law recently tabbed Campbell as his Prospect of the Year.

With the Red Sox already looking ahead to 2025, Campbell has positioned himself as a potential building block for the future alongside the left-handed hitting trio of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel. While that distinction alone may not exclude him from being involved in trade talks in the offseason, it seems as though he could be ready to contribute at the big-league level as early as next summer.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer ‘likely done’ for season due to lumbar strain

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is likely done for the remainder of the season, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Mayer, who has not played in a game since July 30 for Double-A Portland, is dealing with a lumbar strain in his lower back. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted to Triple-A Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel on August 12 but was placed on the injured list last Tuesday.

As noted by Speier, Mayer is no longer with the WooSox and is instead rehabbing at the Red Sox’ Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Fla. According to Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, Mayer is expected to make a full recovery and can look forward to a normal offseason.

“We just got to a point where he really was plateauing with the improvement, and needed to get a little bit more deeper into what was going on,” Abraham told Speier. “Certainly unfortunate for Marcelo, but I think the good news is we know what the issue is.”

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. The Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.) product has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted a stout .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He made 65 starts at shortstop and one at third base, committing 11 errors in 216 total defensive chances.

Mayer was placed on the Sea Dogs’ injured list on August 1, two days after exiting Portland’s game with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. The issue was deemed minor and the Red Sox proceeded to elevate Mayer to Worcester “with the expectation that he’d quickly find his way into the lineup,” according to Speier.

Mayer, however, hit a snag of sorts as the soreness in his lower back persisted. He was subsequently sent for an MRI, which led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox elected to send Mayer to extended spring training so that he could focus on his rehab.

“A really strong year from Marcelo. We’re going to take the positives out of it,” said Abraham. “Promoted to Triple-A, an opportunity to make some noise going into next year. We’re expecting a full recovery, so it will be all in the rear-view mirror by the time this offseason rolls around and he prepares for next year.”

If Mayer does not play again in 2024, this will mark the second straight year he has not been able to finish a season, which raises concerns about his durability. He was shut down last August with a left shoulder impingement he suffered while running the bases three months prior.

“I mean, obviously not ideal,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Mayer when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Monday. “He had a good season, did a good job. But honestly, I didn’t know. I’ll talk to [player development] and see what happens. But getting him right is the most important thing. There’s a lot of potential there. There’s things that we have to work on. [The] injuries, obviously, from my end, [are] concerning, to be honest with you. Just have to make sure we can keep him healthy.”

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with low back inflammation, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer is dealing with a lower back and upper glute muscle issue that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted from Double-A Portland to Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel last Monday but has not yet appeared in a game for the WooSox.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. He has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He spent nine days (August 1-10) on the Sea Dogs’ injured list before being activated and joining the WooSox at Polar Park last Tuesday.

“I’m feeling much better,” Mayer told reporters (including Speier) that same afternoon. “My lower back and my upper glute was just bothering me a little bit. I missed a week in Somerset due to pec soreness and then my back kind of flared up on me. So we’ve just kind of been being cautious with it.  Don’t want to play when my back is hurt and then I end up getting more hurt than I need to, so we’ve just been taking it pretty slow, but I feel good.”

As noted by Speier, the decision to place Mayer on the injured list was made in part to create an opening on Worcester’s roster. Still, the fact of the matter is that Mayer is facing yet another lengthy late-season absence due to injury. He missed the final six weeks of the 2023 campaign with a left shoulder impingement.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox top prospect Yoeilin Cespedes likely requires surgery after breaking bone in left hand

Top Red Sox prospect Yoeilin Cespedes has a broken hamate bone in his left hand that will likely require surgery, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Cespedes had yet to appear in a game for Low-A Salem after earning a promotion from the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 25. The 18-year-old middle infielder was instead placed on the 7-day injured list last Wednesday due to what was initially believed to be left-hand soreness.

As noted by Speier, however, the issue lingered longer than expected. Further testing led to the diagnosis of a hamate fracture, according to Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham. Since surgery to remove a broken hamate typically sidelines players for approximately six to eight weeks, the rest of Cespedes’ season could be in jeopardy if he does indeed go under the knife.

Before being promoted to Salem late last month, the right-handed hitting Cespedes batted a stout .319/.400/.615 with 10 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 24 RBIs, 20 runs scored, three stolen bases, 12 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games (105 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox to open the 2024 campaign.

Defensively, Cespedes split his playing time on the field between second base and shortstop. The 5-foot-8, 181-pounder made seven starts at the former and 10 at the latter. He also started eight games at DH, though five of those starts came in the early stages of the FCL season as he was still working his way back from a quadriceps strain that sidelined him during spring training.

Cespedes, who turns 19 in September, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.4 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Azua last January. He made a positive first impression in his professional debut by being named a 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star and the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Had he remained healthy upon making the jump to Salem, Cespedes could have put himself in the conversation to join fellow Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell on Baseball America’s top-100 list this summer. He will now have to wait a bit until he is cleared to return to action.

(Picture of Yoeilin Cespedes: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan ‘expected to miss multiple weeks’ with fractured finger

Red Sox corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan is “expected to miss multiple weeks” after fracturing his left ring finger over the weekend, the club’s director of player development Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Jordan suffered the injury in the first inning of Double-A Portland’s 10-7 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field on Saturday afternoon. After drawing a two-out walk, the 21-year-old attempted to score from first on a Nick Yorke double. He was instead thrown out at home and fractured his finger while extending his left hand towards the plate.

Though he was taken out of the game and carted off the field, Jordan offered an optimistic take on the injury after the fact by tweeting “We’ll be back” with a heart emoji. He was placed on Portland’s 7-day injured list on Sunday but a more precise timetable for his return has not yet been revealed.

Jordan had been riding a 17-game hitting streak coming into play on Saturday, so this development certainly comes at an inopportune time. On the 2024 season as a whole, the right-handed hitter has batted .283/.342/.414 with seven doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 12 runs scored, six walks, and 11 strikeouts in 26 games (111 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Among qualified hitters in the Eastern League to this point in the year, Jordan boasts the lowest strikeout rate at 9.9 percent. He also ranks 17th in batting average, 37th in on-base percentage, 28th in slugging percentage, 33rd in OPS (.756), 21st in swinging-strike rate (9.9 percent), and 34th in wRC+ (116), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Jordan has unsurprisingly split time between first and third base with Portland this season. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has made nine starts at the former and 14 starts at the latter, committing a total of three errors in 97 defensive chances. He has also started three games at designated hitter.

A former third-round draft selection coming out of DeSoto Central High School in 2020, Jordan is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Mississippi native can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox reliever Wyatt Mills undergoes Tommy John surgery

Injured Red Sox reliever Wyatt Mills underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, the club announced. The procedure was performed by Dr. Keith Meister at Texas Metroplex Institute for Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery in Arlington, Texas.

Mills was shut down from throwing in mid-March due to a flexor issue and opened the season on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation as a result. The 28-year-old sidearmer was then transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 16.

Prior to being shut down, though, Mills had shown signs of promise during spring training, striking out 10 of the 32 batters he faced in five Grapefruit League appearances.

Acquired by the Red Sox from the Royals for minor-league reliever Jacob Wallace in December, Mills was originally selected by the Mariners in the third round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Gonzaga. The Washington state native broke in with Seattle in May 2021 and was then dealt to Kansas City last March.

Between the two stops, Mills posted a 4.60 ERA and 3.62 FIP with 26 strikeouts to 13 walks in 27 relief appearances (29 1/3 innings) last season. For his career, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound righty owns a 6.21 ERA in 38 outings (42 innings) at the major-league level.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, Boston brought in Mills hoping that he could replicate the same sort of success John Schreiber enjoyed out of the Red Sox bullpen last year. Like Schreiber, Mills throws from a similar arm angle and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a sinker. He had also been planning on adding a changeup to his arsenal, per Smith.

Now, Mills will be sidelined for all of 2023 and most — if not all — of 2024 as well since Tommy John surgery typically takes anywhere between 14 to 18 months to recover from.

Mills, who turns 29 in January, has one minor-league option remaining and is not eligible for salary arbitration until 2026.

Wallace, who turns 25 next month, has pitched to a 3.86 ERA and 4.47 FIP with 31 strikeouts to 20 walks in 28 relief appearances (25 2/3 innings) for the Royals’ Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas so far this season.

(Picture of Wyatt Mills: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall set to begin rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester next week

Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester next Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) prior to Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Duvall fractured his left wrist while attempting to make a diving catch on a sinking liner in Detroit on April 9 and has been sidelined ever since. Fortunately, the veteran slugger did not require surgery and is no longer wearing a cast or splint on his wrist.

Since having the cast removed earlier this month, Duvall has been building up strength in his left wrist while ramping up baseball activities on the field. It now appears as though the 34-year-old is ready to return to action, as he will join the WooSox for the start of their next series on the road against the Louisville Bats.

This milestone will represent a homecoming of sorts for Duvall, who hails from Kentucky and played his college baseball at Louisville. It remains to be seen how many minor-league games Duvall will need before being cleared to rejoin the Red Sox, though he told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo last week that his target date was June 9, which is when he is first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list.

Duvall signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Boston in January and had gotten his first season with the Red Sox off to a torrid start before getting hurt. In his first eight games, the right-handed hitter batted .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts over 37 plate appearances.

In Duvall’s absence, Jarren Duran has emerged as the Red Sox’ primary center fielder. Though he was among the hottest hitters on the team early on, the speedy 26-year-old is currently in the midst of an 0-for-19 slump at the plate dating back to last Saturday.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Richard Bleier on 15-day injured list, recall Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Worcester

Before opening a three-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Monday night, the Red Sox placed veteran reliever Richard Bleier on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation. In a corresponding move, fellow left-hander Brennan Bernardino was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced.

Bleier made his 19th appearance of the season for Boston in Sunday’s 7-0 loss to the Padres in San Diego. Over 1 1/3 innings, the 36-year-old gave up one run on one hit, which came on a solo homer off the bat of the left-handed hitting Matt Carpenter in the bottom of the third.

Following Sunday’s performance, Bleier now owns a 5.85 ERA and 5.44 FIP with 12 strikeouts to three walks across 20 innings of relief in his first season with the Red Sox. While the southpaw has excelled when it comes to getting batters to chase (36.6 percent chase rate) and not giving up free passes (3.4 percent walk rate), he has struggled in other areas.

According to Baseball Savant, Bleier currently ranks in the 10th percentile of all big-league pitchers in expected batting average (.291). He also ranks in the 13th percentile in expected slugging percentage (.498), the seventh percentile in strikeout rate (13.8 percent), the fourth percentile in whiff rate (16.3 percent), the first percentile in fastball velocity (86.9 mph), and the third percentile in fastball spin.

Acquired from the Marlins for Matt Barnes and cash considerations in late January, Bleier was brought in to tame opposing left-handed hitters out of the bullpen. As was the case on Sunday, though, Bleier has not had the best of time against lefties and is actually faring better against righties.

So far, lefties are hitting a stout .429/.467/.786 with one double and three home runs in 31 trips to the plate against Bleier this season. Righties, on the other hand, are batting just .231/.268/.346 with three doubles and one home run over 56 plate appearances.

At this point in time, it remains to be seen if Bleier will require more than 15 days on the injured list. If that is not the case, Bleier will first be eligible to be activated on Tuesday, June 6, when the Red Sox open a three-game set against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Bernardino, meanwhile, is up with Boston for the second time this season. The 31-year-old was optioned to Worcester last Tuesday, but he actually joined the big-league club in San Diego over the weekend as a member of the taxi squad. He was eligible to be called up on Monday since he is replacing an injured player.

Claimed off waivers from the Mariners in mid-April, Bernardino has appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox thus far. In that time frame, the native Californian has pitched to a 3.65 ERA (4.75 FIP) with 10 strikeouts to three walks over 12 1/3 innings of work.

With Bleier going on the injured list, Bernardino joins Joely Rodriguez as the only two lefties available to manager Alex Cora out of the Red Sox bullpen.

(Picture of Richard Bleier: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall hoping to return from wrist injury as soon as he is eligible to

Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall could soon be nearing a return from the injured list after fracturing left wrist in early April.

Though the club has yet to lay out a specific timetable for him, Duvall told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo on Wednesday that his target date to return is Friday, June 9. That is when he is first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list and the Red Sox open a three-game series against the Yankees in the Bronx.

As noted by Cotillo, it remains to be seen if the Red Sox agree with that timeline. Nonetheless, Duvall has made great progress in rehabbing the distal radius fracture he suffered while diving for a fly ball in Detroit on April 9. The 34-year-old did not require surgery and is no longer wearing a cast or splint on his wrist.

While he continues to build up strength, Duvall has been doing both offensive and defensive drills on the field, as was the case on Wednesday. The left-handed hitter will need to go out on a rehab assignment and get into a few minor-league games before being activated.

“I’m taking ground balls, taking fly balls,” said Duvall. “Starting to hit the ball off the Tee. I think we’ll just continue to try to push it and see where we’re at. We’ll take some swings and then see where we’re at the next morning. Did you go too far? Do you need to do more? Right now, it has been responding really well. We’re just going to keep taking those next steps.”

Signed to a one-year, $7 million deal in January, Duvall had been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball to begin the 2023 season. In his first eight games with Boston, the veteran slugger batted .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts over 37 plate appearances.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Nick Grace/Getty Images)

Red Sox likely to place John Schreiber on injured list with right lat tightness

Red Sox reliever John Schreiber is likely going to be placed on the injured list after leaving Monday night’s 10-1 loss to the Mariners at Fenway Park with right lat tightness, according to manager Alex Cora.

Schreiber came on in the seventh inning and struck out the first batter he faced in Ty France. The right-hander then delivered a 2-1, 93.3 mph sinker to Julio Rodriguez and could immediately be seen flexing his throwing arm on the mound.

That prompted Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry to emerge from the Red Sox dugout. After a lengthy conference on the mound, Schreiber left the field with Henry and was replaced by lefty Richard Bleier.

When speaking with reporters following Monday’s blowout loss, Schreiber indicated to reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) that he had been dealing with discomfort in the area of his lat (the latissimus dorsi muscle) on his right side over the last few days and reaggravated it on his final pitch to Rodriguez.

“It has been tight a little bit this past week,” explained Schreiber. “I was throwing some bullpens, it was coming out good. It felt like something I could get through… Tonight, it was coming out really good, I thought. That last pitch, maybe a little bit too much extension there, and it tightened up.”

Including Monday’s outing, Schreiber now owns a 2.12 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 21 strikeouts to eight walks in 18 relief appearances (17 innings) for Boston this season. Though the Red Sox are optimistic that the 29-year-old’s stint on the injured list will only last the minimum 15 days, the structure of the bullpen will change in his absence.

As noted by Cotillo, this will be Schreiber’s first injured list stint as a major-leaguer. The righty is slated to undergo further testing on Tuesday and that will likely provide a more concrete timeline for his recovery.

“I’m frustrated, obviously, that I’m not going to be able to compete for, I don’t know how long,” Schreiber said. “We’re going to evaluate tomorrow. Hopefully, some really good results. We’ll see what happens.”

Schreiber is not the only reliever the Red Sox will be replacing on Tuesday. Left-hander Brennan Bernardino was also optioned to Triple-A Worcester after allowing one run over 1 1/3 innings of relief on Monday night.

It is not yet known who will be taking the place of Schreiber and Bernardino on the big-league roster. Potential candidates include Justin Garza and Kaleb Ort, who are both on the 40-man roster, as well as Jake Faria, Oddanier Mosqueda, Andrew Politi, and Ryan Sheriff, who are not on the 40-man roster.

With that being said, the Red Sox have an opening on their 40-man roster after designating Ryan Brasier for assignment on Monday. It is also worth mentioning that Kutter Crawford — who has been sidelined by a left hamstring strain since May 4 — is expected to come off the injured list on Friday.

(Picture of John Schreiber and Brandon Henry: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)