BOSTON, MA: Liam Hendriks' Red Sox debut appears to be postponed until 2025. Before the Sox's extra-inning loss in the Bronx tonight, manager Alex Cora stated that the team is "probably going to shut him down" from throwing (source via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).
Following Hendriks' complaint of arm soreness last week, Boston decided to yank the veteran reliever from his minor league rehab assignment. The three-time All-Star has been recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in August 2023, which put an end to his White Sox career.
Cora said that Hendriks's current pain is not in his elbow but rather on the outside of his forearm. Since there was no structural damage seen on the MRI, the staff feels the problem is just typical pain from his build-up following a protracted rest.
Hendriks doesn't have time on the calendar for even a small delay, even though there doesn't appear to be a long-term issue. The regular season has seventeen days remaining. Following their defeat tonight, Boston is now 4.5 games behind the American League's last Wild Card place.
Asking Hendriks to play through mild forearm pain in order to help a long-shot postseason run is probably too dangerous.Early in Spring Training, Hendriks inked a two-year, $10MM free agent contract. It's a backloaded deal with the usual parameters for a pitcher recovering from a significant arm surgery.
The latter category would become even more significant if Hendriks starts as Cora's closer the following season. For every fifth game completed in between 45 and 65 contests, he would receive $1MM each.
In 2021, Hendriks led the American League in saves for Chicago with 38. The next season, he made another 37 saves. If Hendriks had returned to the mound this year, he would have taken on a middle relief or setup job. Next spring, the ninth inning might be yours to take.
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