As fans know all too well, the Boston Red Sox bullpen loses oil in August. Thankfully, reinforcements finally seem to be on the way.
Wednesday night’s disastrous 9-7 loss to the Texas Rangers was just the latest in a long line of implosions in the Red Sox bullpen recently.
Leading 7-4 in the ninth inning, Josh Winckowski had two outs when he hit a three-run home run to Wyatt Langford to tie the game. In the tenth inning, Zack Kelly allowed a two-run home run on his first pitch to give Jonah Heim the lead.
Boston’s bullpen has been thin on options lately, forcing manager Alex Cora to use some pitchers in situations he normally wouldn’t, like Winckowski in a save situation. But finally, a pitcher the Red Sox had hoped would be available in crucial situations appears to be close to making his debut.
According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, two-time All-Star Liam Hendriks, whom the Red Sox signed before the season, will begin rehab on Sunday and return to action after Tommy John surgery in 2023.
“Hendriks will begin rehab on Sunday in Worcester. They plan on 6-8 appearances,” McCaffrey said on X.
Hendriks, 35, is one of the most dominant relievers in baseball over the past half-decade, twice leading all MLB relievers in strikeouts, in both 2019 and 2021, while making three All-Star appearances.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2022, Hendriks returned to play briefly with the Chicago White Sox in 2023 before it was announced that he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery. He still won MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award last season.
Anything the Red Sox can get from Hendriks would be a welcome addition, but if he can get back to being the pitcher he was three years ago, it could change Boston’s entire season.
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