The Boston Red Sox are on the outside looking in for the Wild Card race and if they don’t climb the standings we may not see David Price again in 2019.
It was made known today that depending on how the Red Sox perform in the next few games we may have seen the last of David Price for 2019. There have been moments this season where Price looked like a world-beater that could conquer any lineup, and then there have been others where he didn’t look like himself at all.
In a season that has been filled with negatives and just downright depressing stretches, what’s one more for the pile? Boston has already shut down Chris Sale for the remainder of this season and if something drastic doesn’t happen, it looks like their other ace may be done as well. At this point, I don’t blame the Red Sox for contemplating shutting Price down. Why add further stress to his wrist if it’s going to be for nothing?
Price missed almost the entirety of August due to a cyst on his left wrist and made short work in his return last week. Soon after he made his return from the IL he would feel tightness again in that left wrist. It’s hard to think that Boston will climb the ladder into October considering their standing as I write this. After crushing their final West Coast road trip they came back to Fenway just to drop three of their last five.
As a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation since birth, I try to not give up until the final out is recorded. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to be the most optimistic but I won’t throw in the towel. Thinking in the long-term though it feels like it may be in the best interest of the Red Sox to take Price out and let him get healthy for 2020.
"“Depending on where we’re at,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said when asked about shutting down Price. “We’ll see.”"
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Boston sure hasn’t given up though and the ever-optimistic Alex Cora still believes this team has a chance to find a way into October. It’s hard to argue against that mindset with what we’ve seen from this team when the leaves begin to change. But that experience came after trouncing the rest of the league for five months, this year it’s been the Red Sox getting trounced.
Price is a key factor in the success of this team now and going forward, and they’re going to need him as healthy as possible to bounce back from this atrocious 2019 season. David won’t be a free agent until 2023 so Boston needs to keep him as healthy as they can to try and keep the trophies coming to Fenway Park.
"“I know we haven’t played well, but we’re still talented. We’re still good,” said Cora. “We’ve still got two weeks. We can get on a run. Although you guys don’t believe me, but I feel that way. I told the guys today, ‘Let’s do what we have to do this weekend. We’ve got to win the series. And we know we have to keep winning series, but if we make it and we play that game, I don’t think too many people would like to match up with us in a playoff series.”"
In his 107.1IP this season Price has an uncharacteristic 7-5 record with a 4.58 ERA. He’s currently at a 2.7 BB/9 which is up from last year but has also increased his K/9 from 9.1 to 10.7. So we’ve seen a real mixed bag from him this season but the bottom line is he hasn’t really been himself. After finally getting the postseason monkey off his back this past October it was thought he’d be an ace for this rotation, sadly he wasn’t.
If the Red Sox do shut down David Price for the remainder of the season it may seem like a disaster at first but if he can be fully healthy for next season, then it’s worth it. He hasn’t been a factor for the better part of the last six weeks and I don’t see him being one in the final three. We may need to start looking towards the future and draw up the best plan of attack for 2020. That may mean Boston has to go at it without their veteran lefty.