The return of David Price will solve a glaring problem with the starting rotation and put the sluggish Boston Red Sox back on track.
When David Price returns to the Boston Red Sox’ starting rotation soon, it will mark the first time Boston will field Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and Price in the same rotation. This is the trio Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox had envisioned when they traded for Sale this past offseason. Even with the early regression of Porcello, the Sox hope that they will feature the best trio of starters in the league.
Not far into Spring Training, of course, Price injured his forearm in what many Sox fans were sure was a season ending mishap. Thankfully, Price did not require surgery and rested for much of the Spring. He appears ready to return to the Red Sox as soon as the end of the month, barring any setbacks in his Triple-A assignments.
When Price does return, the rotation should look like this:
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Rick Porcello– 2-5, 4.23 ERA, 55.3 IP
Chris Sale– 4-2, 2.15 ERA, 58.7 IP
David Price– N/A
Eduardo Rodriguez-2-1, 3.01 ERA, 41.3 IP
Drew Pomeranz– 3-3, 5.29 ERA, 34.0 IP
All of the sudden, this is a potentially best-in-the league rotation.
Of course, adding rotation strength helps the bullpen. As a unit, the bullpen has been a surprise highlight for the team so far this year. Craig Kimbrel looks sharp as a tack, and the rest of the staff have been doing their very job well in most cases.
Still, without Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith, the bullpen is thinner than it should be. In theory, adding another top-end arm to the rotation should take a good deal of pressure off of the bullpen.
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As far as the offense goes, Boston currently has the 8th best offense in terms of runs scored. Could Price help the Sox score more runs? Of course not, but having a top rotation could reduce the need for run support while the Red Sox attempt to either get their current lineup to produce more runs or make a move to bring in more offense.
Much has been written already about the team’s offensive woes, but adding another big time arm to the rotation will remove some pressure for the offense to carry the team into the playoffs. Unlike last year, that may be a task for the pitching staff in 2017.
Next: Sandoval begins rehab assignment
It remains to be seen how good David Price will be in his return to the majors, but if he pitches to his potential, the Red Sox are about to get a whole lot better.