Red Sox Video
Red Sox fans received bad news when the team announced Wednesday that starter Kutter Crawford would miss the rest of the season with a wrist surgery. Crawford had yet to pitch this season, as he had previously been dealing with right patellar tendon soreness and a sore right wrist. Alex Cora told reporters in Anaheim that the starting rotation depth — which was a strength of the team entering the season — has grown thin.
Although Crawford is not a Cy Young-caliber pitcher, he still could have provided value to this Red Sox team in the second half of the season. He led the team in innings last season with 183.2. I would even presume that he would be the Game 3 or 4 starter if he was healthy and the team was in the postseason. With Crawford’s season being over, the other depth options in the rotation must step up for the Red Sox.
Injury Notes
Elsewhere in the rotation, Tanner Houck is scheduled to pitch in Worcester on Sunday, and he will likely return in the coming week or two. Houck threw just 1 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs in his previous rehab start on Tuesday. Houck has struggled mightily at the major league level this season posting a 8.03 ERA in nine games started. It will be interesting to see if Houck can regain some confidence in Worcester before being activated from the injured list.
Kyle Harrison is also in Worcester, and he just pitched his first game with the organization allowing four runs in four innings. Harrison will get a chance with the Red Sox eventually, but likely sometime after the break.
Justin Slaten, Liam Hendricks, and Hunter Dobbins all played catch this week for the first time since their respective injuries. Slaten will be a key return for the Red Sox as they need some help in the back-end of the bullpen. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Hendricks is a wild-card and it is unclear what type of production we will see from him when he returns. As far as Dobbins goes, it will be interesting to see how the team handles his injury. It occurred just a week ago, but the Red Sox are labeling the injury as a right elbow strain, which suggests they will not rush the rookie back, especially since his velocity was down in his last start in San Francisco.
On the good news front, Jordan Hicks will be called up to make his Red Sox debut soon. He has thrown twice for Worcester, with his first outing yielding poor results (two earned runs while recording just two outs). However, on Friday night, Hicks threw a scoreless frame while striking out two. It is unclear how the Red Sox will use Hicks out of the bullpen, but at the very least, he will give Alex Cora a new relief weapon who has great stuff. Hicks will probably debut in a low-leverage situation before gradually seeing higher-leverage ones.
Outfielder Masataka Yoshida participated in team batting practice on Friday, and the Red Sox say he could begin a rehab assignment in Worcester on July 1. Yoshida will likely have an extended rehab stint before making his season debut in Boston. Lastly, Alex Bregman took swings on Friday, marking his first baseball activity since his quad injury. Cora said the team will know more about a potential return date next week.
The Red Sox are 3-7 since trading Rafael Devers. The team could use a spark everywhere, and coincidentally there are players returning to each major position group. Only time will tell if these players returning from injury can provide a winning-boost right away, but it remains evident that the Red Sox need help.
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