Red Sox's High-Leverage Reliever Likely Headed To Injured List Unexpectedly

Boston's bullpen took another hit

Scott Neville | Apr 16, 2023

Red Sox's High-Leverage Reliever Likely Headed To Injured List Unexpectedly /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox bullpen has been decimated by injuries this season and they appear unable to catch a break.

Boston opened the season without newcomers Joely Rodríguez and Wyatt Mills -- both of whom still have ways to go in their respective recoveries.

In the series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox lost Zack Kelly to what appeared to be a significant elbow injury -- though they have yet to diagnose the ailment.

Now another hurler is set to make an appearance on the injured list -- one of the most essential relievers on the staff.

“(Chris Martin's) a little bit banged up. It started with the bicep, now the shoulder,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters on Sunday, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. “So we have to stay away from him. Actually, he’s getting checked by the doctor. There’s a good chance he’ll go on the injured list. It’s nothing serious, serious. But it’s something we have to take into consideration. So we were talking about it and we’ll see what we do.”

Martin and John Schreiber have been the two high-leverage hurlers tasked with setting up closer Kenley Jansen. With Martin out, and the bullpen taxed more than any other bullpen in Major League Baseball, Boston faces some issues.

Some have speculated that Bryan Mata or Chris Murphy -- both starters by trade -- could fill in for Martin. That would be wise as the bullpen could use another long reliever to spell the rest of the group.

Boston's starting pitching has been abysmal, as no starter has reached the sixth inning thus far. If the issue persists, Cora could lean on a plethora of long relievers to balance out the innings.

The other option would be to go with Ryan Sherriff. The 32-year-old is fresh and more importantly, is a southpaw. Richard Bleier is the only lefty on the roster with Rodríguez on the shelf and has been far from lights out. Sherriff would not be a long reliever but would give Cora the ability to mix and match and potentially become the go-to- lefty.

Sherriff does not have a spot on the 40-man but Kelly's potential long-term injury could open a spot assuming he's converted to the 60-day injured list.

I'd lean toward Mata or Murphy given how many innings the bullpen has been responsible for as of late but any of the three would add value.

Update: The Red Sox reportedly called up Jake Faria -- a washed-up right-hander with six earned runs in five innings for Triple-A Worcester. This team is killing me.

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Published Apr 16, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu