As the Boston Red Sox head into a three-game series in Atlanta this weekend, they’ve placed right-hander on the injured list due to inflammation in his right hip. This brings their total number of injured players to nine, with five — including Alex Bregman and Triston Casas — joining the list since early May. The team is struggling, having gone 10-16 this month and currently enduring a five-game losing streak.
To fill Hendriks’ spot in the bullpen, the Red Sox have recalled right-hander Nick Burdi from Triple-A Worcester. Hendriks, 36, last pitched Tuesday, surrendering a walk-off grand slam to Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich in the 10th inning.
So far this season, Hendriks has made 14 appearances, posting a 6.59 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with seven walks and 12 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings. He started the year on the injured list with a compressed nerve in his right forearm and only returned on April 20 — his first MLB appearance in 681 days — after recovering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Tommy John surgery.
Hendriks has had a challenging few weeks. Manager Alex Cora initially used him in low-leverage situations after his return, but as bullpen usage increased, Hendriks expressed frustration about limited opportunities. “I feel like I haven’t been pitching enough,” he said after allowing key runs in a loss to the Mets. “I’ll rust before I wear out. But if I’m not getting guys out, I don’t deserve to pitch.”
The following day, Hendriks revealed on Instagram that he’d been receiving death threats, attributing the rise in hostile messages to the growing influence of sports betting. “It’s gotten worse with gambling,” he said, citing disturbing messages like, “You blew my parlay” and even threats tied to his past battle with cancer.
Nick Burdi now re-joins the Red Sox after a solid start to the season. In two earlier appearances with Boston, he threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings. At Worcester, Burdi has been dominant, logging a 0.48 ERA with 26 strikeouts and five walks in 18 2/3 innings. Overall, the Red Sox bullpen ranks 14th in MLB with a 3.74 ERA.
Leave a Reply