Surprising Red Sox Star Reportedly To Miss Rest Of Season Due To Infection

Boston got some bad news Thursday involving one of its star pitchers

The Boston Red Sox will be without the services of arguably their best relief pitcher for the final four games of the 2023 season.

Boston landed journeyman reliever Chris Martin this past offseason in free agency and he surprisingly developed into the club's best pitcher out of the bullpen. Martin had a historic season for the Red Sox but will miss the final four games of the season due to a viral infection, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Chris Martin's excellent season is over," Cotillo said. "He has a viral infection and is going on the (injured list). Nick Robertson is up from the WooSox."

Martin finishes the 2023 season after having one of the most dominant campaigns by a Boston reliever in team history. The veteran righty compiled a minuscule 1.05 ERA across 55 outings for the Red Sox this year. The last time Martin allowed an earned run was on July 28th against the San Francisco Giants. Martin finished the season with 20 straight scoreless outings. 

Boston's bullpen struggled in 2022 but took a massive step forward this year thanks in large part to Martin's performance as the set-up man to star closer Kenley Jansen. The Red Sox are fortunate that Martin is under contract for the 2024 campaign and hopefully can ride the momentum of this season to another successful year. 

The Red Sox may not find themselves in the playoffs this year, but there is a lot to be excited about in 2024.

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