Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher David Price has been scratched from his next start against the Yankees due to numbness in his pitching hand.
The last thing the Boston Red Sox needed as they roll into New York to take on the Yankees this week was an injury to a key player. Unfortunately, David Price was unable to avoid that misfortune.
Price has been sent home to Boston for further testing after experiencing numbness in his left hand. He’s been scratched from Wednesday’s start a day in advance. Rick Porcello will now take the mound against the Yankees tomorrow instead of Thursday. Eduardo Rodriguez will pitch in the finale of the three-game series.
David Price sent home. Scratched from tomorrow's start. The numbness in his hand has come back. Getting tested. Rick Porcello pitching instead.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) May 8, 2018
The season began with Price cruising through his first two starts against the Tampa Bay Rays, tossing seven shutout innings in both outings. It appeared the lefty was back on track following an injury-plagued 2017, yet we were forced to pump the breaks on that optimistic outlook when he was pulled after only one inning against the Yankees in his third start.
Price revealed the early exit was the result of losing feeling in his pitching hand. Whether or not that explains the four runs he allowed in the inning was less certain. He managed to take his next turn in the rotation, lasting only five innings in an otherwise solid start.
He’s made three more starts since, with the results getting progressively worse. Tagged for four runs against the Oakland A’s, five against the Rays then lit up for seven against the Texas Rangers. 16 earned runs over 17 innings leading to three consecutive losses.
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Some may accuse Price of feigning injury in order to dodge the Yankees, a team that he’s historically struggled against. He’s 15-12 in his career against them but with a 4.67 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
The Red Sox skipping Price’s turn in New York may prove to be a wise decision. However, I don’t believe it’s because they fear the Yankees have his number. Price clearly hasn’t been the same pitcher since losing feeling in his pitching hand. Maybe that feeling (or lack thereof) never completely faded.
If there’s still an issue with Price’s throwing hand then they had to skip him in the rotation. They have to find out what’s wrong. A trip to the disabled list hasn’t been ruled out and we’ll know more once he gets an MRI. We may even get an update after tonight’s game.
Price is a key cog in the Red Sox rotation. When he’s healthy he’s still capable of dominating lineups. We saw it when he returned out of the bullpen last fall and that carried over into the spring. That version of Price is the type of pitcher you want in a pivotal series against your division rival.
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What we don’t want is the version of Price that has been on display through his last handful of starts. The Red Sox need to get to the bottom of what’s ailing the southpaw so that he can return to form sooner rather than later.