Red Sox pitcher Liam has had an impressive MLB career and is widely respected throughout the league for many well-earned reasons.
However, his stint with the Boston Red Sox hasn’t gone as planned.
After missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, the Red Sox were optimistic that Hendriks would return strong and play a key role in their bullpen this year. But ongoing injury setbacks, inconsistent performance, and reported friction with the organization have led to what now seems like a disappointing and premature end to his season.
On Saturday, Christopher Smith of MassLive reported that Hendriks has been shut down due to forearm tightness while rehabbing from a prior hip injury that had already placed him on the 60-day injured list. Realistically, this likely ends any chance of him making an impact for the Red Sox this season. With free agency looming, a return to Boston in the offseason seems unlikely.
“He had a setback a few weeks ago,” manager Alex Cora said, per Smith. “Kind of like got tight on the forearm. So they shut him down.”
“I don’t know if he’s done-done for the year but it doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to be a part of it.”
There was also an awkward incident in early August when Hendriks seemingly got upset with Cora for saying he wasn’t sure the righty would be back at any point this season, which proved prophetic.
Manager Alex Cora said he apologized to Hendriks and that the two had cleared the air, but when he responded with “That’ll be great” regarding the possibility of the 36-year-old pitching again this season (as reported by Smith), it was fair to question how sincere the optimism really was.
Hendriks has struggled in 2025, posting an 0-2 record with a 6.59 ERA over 14 appearances — a significant drop-off from his dominant run with the A’s and White Sox. Between 2019 and 2021, he was a three-time All-Star, earned AL Reliever of the Year honors twice, and maintained a stellar 2.26 ERA.
After overcoming both a cancer diagnosis and Tommy John surgery in recent years, it’s clear Hendriks still has a long road ahead to return to peak form. But if he does manage to get back there, it seems increasingly unlikely that his resurgence will come wearing a Red Sox uniform.
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