Red Sox: Where current injury woes rank in value and significance
By Jimmy Longo
Mitch Moreland’s flu bug
The Red Sox offseason solution against right-handers at first base, Moreland was sent home to Boston early from spring training with a bout of what appears to be the flu.
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Per the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato via John Farrell, Moreland will be quarantined for three days in hopes that the first baseman will be ready to go for the season opener Monday.
After the bevy of injuries the Red Sox have experienced this spring, Moreland contracting the flu heading into the last weekend of games should come to no surprise to Red Sox fans, players or staff. It’s something of an annoyance, but able to be overcome.
Though if Moreland can’t break camp with the Red Sox and be over the bug by Monday, they’re noticeably thin at first base.
Hanley Ramirez‘s ability to throw the ball with his shoulder issues is still in question, and Josh Rutledge, who’d been working at first base for a week or so for likely emergency situations, now has a hamstring issue that will keep him off of the opening day roster.
Go figure.
Most likely, Moreland will be able to go Monday. In the event that he can’t, the prime candidates to fill in for a couple days might come from the Red Sox within, and the roster spot being taken by a utility player — ergo players recently optioned like Marco Hernandez or Steve Selsky — with Brock Holt maybe becoming super utility for a day and playing first for some early season fun.