- David Price is tentatively scheduled to make his 2017 debut for the Red Sox on May 29 or 30, as per a rough timeline that manager John Farrell gave WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford and other reporters today. Price (who has been sidelined since early March with elbow problems) will throw a second simulated game on Tuesday, and then minor league rehab games on May 14, 19 and 24 according to the club’s current plans.
Red Sox Rumors
Price Throws 50 Pitches In Second Sim Game
- MassLive.com’s Jen McCaffery writes that David Price threw 50 pitches in his second simulated game on Thursday. She adds that Red Sox president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski said Price was working at 93 to 95 mph with his fastball, and he also utilized each of his other offerings during the workout. The lefty is set to throw another simulated game next Tuesday, after which Boston decision-makers will determine whether he requires one final sim game under club supervision or if he’s ready to embark on a minor league rehab assignment. Per McCaffery, Price could be ready to return to the Sox’ rotation in roughly a month’s time.
Red Sox Looking For Rotation Help
- There are other organizations taking a look around for assistance, though it’s not clear whether any are doing more than eyeing the waiver wire and veterans playing on minors contracts. The Red Sox are looking for rotation help while waiting for David Price, who is said to be nearing a rehab assignment. And the Tigers would like to bolster their beleaguered bullpen. The Diamondbacks will probably wait and see whether they can continue their hot start before deciding how to proceed, but Heyman notes that the club would likely “have some spending money” to work with if additions prove necessary and wise. On the sell side, the White Sox remain willing to deal despite their fairly solid start to the year. But the club isn’t backing down from its offseason asking prices, which is certainly no surprise given its prior stance and the promise of renewed demand at the trade deadline.
Steven Wright To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery
The Red Sox have announced that righty Steven Wright will undergo season-ending left knee surgery. The precise surgery is a cartilage restoration procedure. Wright is expected to be ready for the 2018 campaign.
The 32-year-old Wright was a revelation for the Sox last season, breaking out with a 3.33 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent ground-ball rate in 156 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer began wearing a knee brace late in Spring Training, telling reporters at the time that he’d been dealing with on-and-off soreness but considered the brace precautionary. At the time, Wright said that he didn’t believe any singular issue had led to the knee pain. Clearly, however, that discomfort continued to mount, and it’ll now end up costing him roughly an entire year’s worth of innings.
[Related: Updated Boston Red Sox Depth Chart]
With Wright sidelined for the remainder of the season and David Price still yet to make his 2017 debut, Boston’s rotation will consist of Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Kyle Kendrick for the time being. Southpaws Brian Johnson and Henry Owens remain on the 40-man roster as depth options in Triple-A, and fellow lefty Roenis Elias will give the Sox another optionable starter once he returns from an intercostal strain.
Wright, at some point, will be shifted to the 60-day disabled list to clear a 40-man roster spot for the Sox, and he’ll accrue an entire year of service time while on the shelf. That’ll push him beyond the three-year mark, thereby making him eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career next offseason. Boston can still control Wright through the 2020 season via the arbitration process.
Steven Wright Considering Surgery That Could End His Season
Righty knuckleballer Steven Wright is meeting with the Red Sox today to consider potentially season-ending surgery on his injured left knee, Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com writes. Wright has visited a knee specialist, but has not yet reached a decision about his path forward.
The Red Sox placed Wright on the 10-day DL with a knee sprain earlier this week, and the team is set to purchase the contract of Kyle Kendrick tomorrow to fill out its rotation. Wright’s terrific 2016 season was cut short due to bursitis in his shoulder, and as he completed his recovery from that injury in Spring Training, it emerged that he had been wearing a knee brace to deal with soreness in that area.
Wright began the 2017 season in the Red Sox’ rotation, but struggled in five starts spanning 24 innings, posting an 8.25 ERA, 4.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. If Wright were to return to health and effectiveness, it would be a boon to a Red Sox rotation that has already dealt with injuries to David Price and Drew Pomeranz in addition to Wright. Of course, today’s news would seem to indicate it’s unlikely Wright will be able to make a quick recovery.
Red Sox To Purchase Contract Of Kyle Kendrick
The Red Sox will purchase the contract of righty Kyle Kendrick to start on Thursday, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal was among those to report on Twitter. It seems the organization will open a 40-man spot by placing an injured player (likely Tyler Thornburg) to the 60-day DL.
Kendrick, 32, hasn’t seen the majors since a woeful stint with the Rockies two seasons ago. But he is the clear veteran option for the organization, which was already missing David Price from its rotation when Steven Wright went down to a knee injury.
It’s not yet clear just how long Wright will be out. But he is said to be seeing a specialist for a second opinion on the knee, as Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com tweets, which could at least hint there’s some potential consideration of a surgical option of some kind.
Though Kendrick hasn’t fared well thus far at Triple-A, with a 6.00 ERA over 27 innings, he does carry a solid-enough mix of 6.7 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9. The less-experienced alternatives — Brian Johnson and Henry Owens — have outperformed Kendrick and already have 40-man spots, but Boston evidently would prefer to see them continue refining their work in the upper minors.
Red Sox Place Steven Wright On 10-Day DL
The Red Sox have placed righty Steven Wright on the 10-day DL with a knee sprain, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal was among those to report on Twitter. Boston will call up reliever Brandon Workman to take the open roster spot, though it’s not yet known who’ll account for Wright’s slot in the rotation.
It’s not yet clear at all how serious an issue the knee problem is. Teams are certainly utilizing the newly shortened ten-day disabled period to help with roster maintenance, and that’s especially true of starters who can simply be skipped while they are out. But Wright has had some recent knee issues.
Wright has also markedly struggled for most of the year, posting an unsightly 8.25 ERA over 24 frames through five starts. He has managed just 4.9 K/9 to go with 1.9 BB/9 while permitting nine home runs. That’s neither the length nor the quality that the club needs from the knuckler.
Whether there’s a better option on hand, though, isn’t clear. While Kyle Kendrick has struggled, Henry Owens and Brian Johnson have each been rather successful at Triple-A, and both already have 40-man spots. With David Price still a ways away from his anticipated return, Boston will likely need to hope for better from Wright — who, it should be noted, is out of options — or one of the available replacements for a while longer.
What If The Red Sox Hadn't Traded Anthony Rizzo?
- The Cubs had their eyes on Andrew Benintendi in the 2015 draft, and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Chicago “seemed likely” to take Benintendi with the ninth overall pick. “His agent heard from the Cubs that he was the guy they wanted,” Chris Benintendi, Andrew’s father, said. Before the Cubs could make their move, however, the Red Sox snagged Benintendi with the seventh overall pick. Though the Cubs took highly-regarded prospect Ian Happ with their selection, this could be an interesting what-if scenario for Cubs fans if and when Benintendi’s star continues to rise.
- On the flip side of the “one that got away” coin, Speier also examines an alternate reality where the Red Sox didn’t trade Anthony Rizzo to the Padres as part of the blockbuster that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Boston in the 2010-11 offseason. At the time, Rizzo was just a promising first base prospect sent along with first-rounders Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes in exchange for an established star in Gonzalez. That trade, of course, had enormous long-reaching implications on the recent pasts of the Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, and Dodgers, to name just a few teams that would’ve been impacted had that trade not been completed. (For instance, if the Red Sox had re-signed Adrian Beltre that winter and moved Kevin Youkilis to first base rather than acquire Gonzalez, then obviously the last six years of Rangers baseball is greatly different.)
David Price's Recovery Takes Step Forward
- Red Sox southpaw David Price faced hitters Saturday for the first time since suffering an elbow injury in early March, writes Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald. Price tossed 30 pitches over two simulated innings, which represented “a quality workday for him,” said manager John Farrell. The plan is for the 31-year-old to throw a light bullpen session Monday and another sim game Thursday.
Latest On Carson Smith, Tyler Thornburg
- Red Sox reliever Carson Smith has had a setback in his recovery from 2016 Tommy John surgery, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com writes. Smith was throwing off a mound a couple of weeks ago but has “had to slow down,” manager John Farrell told reporters. Smith is long tossing from 110 feet but is now two weeks removed from his most recent mound session. Boston had been targeting a June return for Smith, but a July return is now more realistic, per McCaffrey. The Red Sox have had rough luck when trading for potential setup arms; in addition to losing Smith for more than a year due to Tommy John surgery just months after trading for him, the team has yet to reap any benefit from its trade to acquire Tyler Thornburg this offseason, as Thornburg has been sidelined all season by a right shoulder impingement. CSNNE.com’s Evan Drellich tweeted recently that Farrell said on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Thornburg essentially needs to progress through Spring Training all over again, which would normally consist of seven to 10 appearances.
