Boston Red Sox lefty David Price doubtful to return this season

The Boston Red Sox are strongly considering shutting the injured David Price down for the season and he may need surgery on his ailing wrist.

The schedule indicates that a disappointing 2019 season is almost over for the Boston Red Sox. David Price‘s wrist may be telling him that his season has already come to an end.

Price has been dealing with discomfort from a cyst on his left wrist for the last few months. He stumbled through a rough patch that culminated in a seven-run implosion in Yankee Stadium on August 4, which finally prompted the Red Sox to place him on the injured list.

The team hoped a cortisone shot to treat the cyst would allow Price’s wrist to sufficiently heal but the plan didn’t work. He lasted only two innings in his return to the mound on September 1 and Price hasn’t been seen on a mound since. The lefty is still unable to throw anything but fastballs during bullpen sessions with the cyst limiting the range of motion in his wrist.

While the team has yet to officially announce a decision, manager Alex Cora admitted that Price’s season is probably over.

"“Most likely we’re going to get together again just to go over a few things and see where we’re heading, but honestly, it feels like most likely we’re going to shut him down,” said Cora, according to The Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato. “But we have to go through the whole process and see how David feels about it.”"

Cora also revealed that the team will talk to Price about having surgery. That decision will depend on what Price wants to do but it certainly makes sense. The cortisone shot didn’t work. Trying that again or hoping that rest will make the problem go away would be risky. If it doesn’t work, surgery may be inevitable and Price will have wasted time for his recovery. The sooner he gets the surgery, the faster he can begin his offseason routine to prepare for next season.

If we have indeed seen the last of Price this season, he’ll finish with a 7-5 record, 4.28 ERA, and 1.31 WHIP in 22 starts. The ERA and WHIP would both be his worst marks since he was a rookie with the Tampa Bay Rays. Price made 23+ starts every year with the Rays through his stints with the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays but this will be the second time in four years since joining the Red Sox that he’s fallen short of that total.

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Price was on his way to an excellent season until the cyst became an issue though. He was 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA through his first 17 starts. When Price initially landed on the injured list, he indicated the wrist had bothered him for his last few starts. He was 0-3 with a 10.58 ERA over the four starts preceding the IL stint and it’s fair to say the cyst was to blame for that horrible stretch.

Which means there’s a reason for optimism that Price will bounce back next season if the cyst is no longer an issue.

They’ll need him to come back strong. There’s already plenty of uncertainty surrounding the health status of Chris Sale. Rick Porcello probably won’t be back as he hits free agency on the heels of the worst season of his career. Nobody knows what to expect from Nathan Eovaldi. Boston can’t afford to buy a new ace with so much money already tied up in their rotation. They need Price to be that guy.

He’s certainly capable of it if this injury is behind him. While it would have been nice to see him return to form this season so that the Red Sox can enter the offseason with full confidence that they can count on Price, shutting him down and getting the surgery done as soon as possible is the safer route.