Drew Pomeranz was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain. With this in mind, let’s review the first lines of defense for the Boston Red Sox rotation.
If all breaks well, the Boston Red Sox could easily have the best rotation in baseball. Chris Sale is a bona fide ace and David Price has number one upside. Drew Pomeranz pitched very well this past season, Rick Porcello is a year removed from a Cy Young campaign, and Eduardo Rodriguez could be poised to break out.
Of course, that is the optimistic view of Boston’s rotation. Chris Sale is Chris Sale, but everyone else comes with their share of question marks.
Price battled injuries and under-performance throughout his two years in Boston. Porcello was a bad pitcher two out of the last three years. As it stands, Rodriguez is battling a knee injury and does not look likely to start the season with the Red Sox. And now we have news that might mean Pomeranz could miss some time to start the season. The man most likely to take a rotation spot would be Steven Wright, except he too is coming back from a knee injury.
Between these injuries and the fragility of the Boston’s rotation outlined above, one could easily imagine that the 6th, 7th, and 8th guys on the depth chart could play a pivotal role for Boston’s pitching staff. So let’s reacquaint ourselves with the starting pitching safety nets on the roster.