Tag: injuries

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)

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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)

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata heads to Triple-A Worcester’s injured list with shoulder inflammation

Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Mata exited his start against the Rochester Red Wings early on Tuesday. The right-hander appeared to be in visible discomfort after delivering a 1-0, 86.2 mph fastball to Franklin Barreto with one out and one runner on in the bottom of the third inning at Innovative Field.

After WooSox catcher Jorge Alfaro motioned to the visitor’s dugout, a conference on the mound ensued. Mata then left the field with a trainer and was replaced by Jake Faria, who allowed both runners he inherited to score in what would go down as a 7-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Up until that point in the contest, Mata had yielded six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings of work. The 24-year-old finished with 49 pitches (29 strikes). He topped out at 99.1 mph with his slider, an offering that accounted for four of the five swings-and-misses he induced.

Following Tuesday’s injury-shortened outing, Mata now owns an 0-3 record and 5.61 FIP with 27 walks to 26 strikeouts in seven starts (25 2/3 innings) for the WooSox so far this season. Despite those unimpressive numbers, the native Venezuelan is still regarded by publications such as Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Originally signed as an international free agent coming out of Maracay for just $25,000 in January 2016, Mata was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020 to receive protection from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. He tore the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his right elbow the following March and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter.

After missing all of the 2021 season, Mata returned to action last June as part of a rehab assignment with Low-A Salem. He made one start for Salem, three starts for High-A Greenville, and nine starts (10 total appearances) for Double-A Portland before earning a promotion to Worcester in late August.

Since then, Mata has forged a 4.59 ERA with 52 strikeouts to 46 walks in 12 starts (49 innings) with the WooSox. Alongside the likes of lefties Brandon Walter and Chris Murphy, who are also on the 40-man roster, Mata represents legitimate big-league pitching depth for the Red Sox at the club’s top affiliate.

With that being said, though, Mata has just one minor-league option remaining, meaning this is the final year the Red Sox can freely shuttle the righty between Boston and Worcester without having to first expose him to waivers.

Even before this latest setback, there were signs that Mata could transition to a bullpen role in the near future since he has power stuff but has had difficulty in harnessing it effectively. Depending on how long he is out for (the hope is the issue isn’t too serious), that scenario could become a reality if the Red Sox want to get a look at Mata at the major-league level before season’s end.

(Picture of Bryan Mata: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox place Garrett Whitlock on 15-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis, recall Brayan Bello from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have placed right-hander Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow neuritis, the club announced prior to Friday’s series opener against the Guardians at Fenway Park. In a corresponding move, fellow righty Brayan Bello was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

Whitlock was originally scheduled to start opposite Zach Plesac on Saturday, but that responsibility will now fall to Bello. The 26-year-old began the season on the injured list after getting a late start in spring training as he continued to recover from a right hip arthroscopy last September.

After making two minor-league rehab starts, Whitlock made his season debut for Boston on April 11 in Tampa Bay. He has since pitched to a 6.19 ERA and 5.98 FIP with 11 strikeouts to three walks over three starts spanning 16 innings of work in which opponents are batting .312 against him.

Whitlock told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) on Friday that he felt something “akin to a numbness or tingling two side sessions ago, and had felt it sporadically when throwing pitches since.” More specifically, he felt it “a couple of times” during his last start against the Brewers this past Saturday.

Though Whitlock — who has yet to have an MRI — was unable to provide any sort of recovery timetable, he did say there were no concerns pertaining to Tommy John surgery, which he first underwent in July 2019 after tearing his right UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) while still a member of the Yankees organization.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora added further details, indicating that there is not too much concern about Whitlock and that the team is hopeful he will only miss two starts before returning to action. Of course, that all depends on how he responds to treatment in the coming days. Cora also said the Red Sox still view Whitlock as a starter as opposed to a reliever moving forward.

Because his stint on the injured list was backdated to April 25, Whitlock will not be eligible to be activated until Wednesday, May 10 at the earliest. The Red Sox have two off days (one before and one after their two-game series against the Braves) that week, so they could look to take advantage of that schedule flexibility as it pertains to their rotation when the time comes.

In the meantime, Bello will fill in for Whitlock and make his third start of the season on Saturday. Like his counterpart, Bello also began the year on the injured list after being slowed by right forearm tightness during spring training. He made just one rehab start for Worcester and made his season debut on April 17.

Bello has since posted a 9.82 ERA and 6.35 FIP with eight strikeouts to three walks in two starts (7 1/3 innings) against the Angels at home and the Brewers on the road. Though he showed signs of improvement in Milwaukee over the weekend, the 23-year-old was optioned on Monday as the Red Sox went from a six-man to a five-man starting rotation and added another lefty to the bullpen mix by calling up Brennan Bernardino from the WooSox.

It turns out that Bello’s stay in Worcester was shorter than expected since he is replacing an injured player on the roster. Regardless, the Dominican-born hurler will now rejoin a Red Sox rotation that includes Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Tanner Houck, and Nick Pivetta.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: John Fisher/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Yu Chang undergoes successful hand surgery

Red Sox infielder Yu Chang underwent a successful left hamate excision on Thursday, the club announced. The procedure was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Chang fractured his left hamate bone (a hook-like structure between the hand and the wrist) on a swing-and-miss in the seventh inning of Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) shortly thereafter that he expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.

“I feel grateful to play shortstop every day,” Chang said through translator Patrick Chu. “I appreciate the team giving me the opportunity to play there every day, to prove myself. But now, the unfortunate thing happened.”

Chang, 27, signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Red Sox in February after appearing in 11 games for the club season. The Taiwan native did not report to spring training in Fort Myers until late March, however, as he was delayed by visa issues after playing for Chinese Taipei and earning Pool A MVP honors in the World Baseball Classic.

Despite the lack of time with the team in camp, Chang still made Boston’s Opening Day roster. The right-handed hitter was used sparingly off the bench out of the gate, but he was thrust into action after Adam Duvall fractured his left wrist on April 9 and Enrique Hernandez began playing more center field as a result.

Prior to Tuesday’s injury, Chang had started 10 of the Sox’ last 12 games at shortstop. And although he was slashing just .186/.174/.341 in 47 plate appearances to begin the year, the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder was providing some pop with his bat in the form of three home runs in his last eight games. He had also proven to be a quality defender at short, registering three defensive runs saved across 91 innings at the position.

With Chang set to miss the next several weeks, Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be changing up his middle infield mix yet again. According to Cotillo, Hernandez is expected move back to shortstop on a full-time basis while Christian Arroyo and rookie Enmanuel Valdez (who was called up in place of Chang) will split time at second base. Jarren Duran will also play more center field on account of Hernandez’s shift to short.

(Picture of Yu Chang: G Fiume/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Yu Chang leaves game with left wrist injury

Red Sox infielder Yu Chang was forced to exit Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Orioles in the seventh inning with a left wrist injury.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Chang swung and missed at a 1-1, 80.3 mph slider from Orioles reliever Bryan Baker. Upon completion of his swing, the 27-year-old was clearly wincing in pain, which prompted manager Alex Cora and assistant athletic trainer David Herrera to pay him a visit from the visitor’s dugout.

After a brief conference, Chang was removed from the game and was replaced by Christian Arroyo, who struck out in his place. Arroyo then took over defensively at second base while Enrique Hernandez slid over from second to shortstop for the final two innings.

Chang was later diagnosed with what the Red Sox described as “left wrist pain” and will undergo further testing in Baltimore on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. There is some preliminary concern that Chang may have injured his hamate bone, a hook-like structure that forms part of the wrist joint.

“He’s in pain. He’s going to get tested tomorrow,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) at Camden Yards. We’ll see where we’re at. Right now, it’s sore. That’s all we can say right now.”

According to Cotillo, who was in the clubhouse after the game, Chang could be seen expressing concern about the potential severity of his injury to a teammate. To that end, it seems likely that Chang will be placed on the injured list and an infielder will be called up from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.

Two prime candidates to fill in for Chang are prospects Enmanuel Valdez, who made his major-league debut last week while Chang was out on paternity leave, and the speedy David Hamilton, who currently owns a .997 OPS in his first 17 games with the WooSox this season. Both Valdez and Hamilton are already on Boston’s 40-man roster.

As noted by Cotillo, any serious injury to Chang would further shake up Boston’s middle infield depth since Trevor Story (elbow surgery) and Adalberto Mondesi (ACL rehab) are already on the 60-day injured list. Chang was brought in as a reserve infielder, but he has seen his playing time increase in recent weeks after Adam Duvall broke his left wrist and Hernandez started to log more innings in center field as a result.

Including Monday, Chang had started five straight and 10 of the last 12 games at shortstop for the Red Sox. The versatile 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has provided the club with some surehanded defense across the infield, but he has also showed some signs of life at the plate by making hard contact and homering three times in his last eight games.

(Picture of Yu Chang: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly to undergo elbow surgery

Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly will require elbow surgery, manager Alex Cora announced to reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) prior to Wednesday’s 10-4 loss to the Twins at Fenway Park.

Kelly will undergo an “ulnar nerve transposition revision” on a date that is still to be determined, according to the team. The right-hander’s UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) and internal brace are still intact.

After injuring his right elbow in last Wednesday’s loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field, Kelly underwent further imaging in Boston on Friday. The 28-year-old’s MRI came back clean, but the Red Sox still sent the results to the physician who performed his internal bracing procedure in May 2020 in order to get a second opinion.

Additionally, Kelly visited an orthopedic surgeon in Alabama in recent days. The result of that visit was the “best case scenario,” per Cotillo.

“The ulnar nerve wasn’t damaged but it’s not attached to whatever it has to be,” Cora said of Kelly. “He’s going to have surgery. We have to wait on when. As far as surgeries, the doctor is backtracked with all that stuff so we have to wait. But he’ll be out for a while.”

Because he underwent an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow in lieu of Tommy John surgery nearly three years ago, Kelly has dealt with this sort of issue before. He was with the Angels at that time and would have missed the entirety of the 2020 minor-league season had it not been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly was released by Los Angeles shortly thereafter and joined the Red Sox as a minor-league free agent that December.

At this point in time, it is not yet known if Kelly will be able to pitch again this season. The righty currently owns a 3.68 ERA with six strikeouts to six walks in his first six relief appearances (7 1/3 innings) of the season after making his first-ever Opening Day roster last month. He was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list this past Sunday.

When he left last Wednesday’s game, Kelly was visibly upset and had tears in his eyes. At that moment, his previous elbow injury and unique journey from going undrafted out of Division II Newberry College to the major-leagues were both on his mind.

“I was definitely emotional for two reasons,” said Kelly. “One, because I care. I care about this game, these guys and I enjoy doing this. Two, just all the shit I went through to get here. It’s just a lot. Whenever something like that happens, you get emotional about it.”

(Picture of Zack Kelly: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Christian Arroyo out ‘a few days’ after tweaking right hamstring on Monday

The Red Sox could be without second baseman Christian Arroyo for the entirety of this week’s three-game series against the Twins at Fenway Park.

Arroyo tweaked his right hamstring while running out a groundball in the third inning of Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Angels. The 27-year-old came up gimpy on the play but he remained in the game until Alex Verdugo pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the ninth.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) earlier Tuesday afternoon, manager Alex Cora indicated that Arroyo was dealing with tightness in his right hamstring and would be held out of action for at least “a few days” as a result.

“He’s doing OK,” Cora said of Arroyo. “We’ll stay away from him today, maybe tomorrow. Kind of like the same situation as [Masataka] Yoshida (who missed four games last week due to hamstring tightness). ” I don’t think it’s an [injured list] thing. We’ll take care of him and he will be ready in a few days.”

Arroyo has not gotten off to the best of starts at the plate this season. Through his first 16 games, the right-handed hitter has batted just .160/.192/.200 with two doubles, three RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and 13 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. He has, however, provided quality defense at second base thus far.

With Arroyo out of the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against Minnesota, Enrique Hernandez will start at second (his third different position this season) for Boston. Additionally, Yu Chang will start at shortstop alongside Hernandez while Jarren Duran will get the start in center.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)