Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodriguez recounts his battle with COVID-19

Red Sox southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez talks about his battle with COVID-19

Going into this season it felt all but certain that Eduardo Rodriguez was going to be the new ace of the Red Sox pitching staff. David Price had been shipped off to Los Angeles and Chris Sale was out thanks to a much needed Tommy John surgery. This lefty Eddy Aces as the top dog in Boston’s pitching staff, until he wasn’t.

The world has been ravaged by the coronavirus and as far as America is concerned, it’s far from over. For the Red Sox, there have been a few positive tests but none have raised any eyebrows until E-Rod. Not only did his positive result lead to an instant scramble of the starting rotation but it was also eye-opening to have a first-hand account of the virus.

Rodriguez finally joined camp on Saturday after being kept away since his COVID test came back positive. After a quarantine and several negatives results, he was able to rejoin the Red Sox at Fenway Park, just ahead of Opening Day. He threw in the bullpen on Saturday afternoon and would speak to the media via Zoom on Sunday.

“I feel like I was 100 years old. My body was tired all the time. Throwing up. Headaches. Like I said, all the symptoms.”

When COVID is a topic of discussion it’ll easily become one of the most debated topics there is. There isn’t a single angle of this virus that has everyone on the same page. To hear Eddy talk about his symptoms it feels like something that finally hits home, at least for me. I have yet to know anyone that has tested positive or shown symptoms, so to listen to him, it’s a new experience.

Personally, I was incredibly sick during the holidays and was negative for the flu but now isn’t the time for my tinfoil hat shenanigans. We’re here to talk about the Red Sox and E-Rod in regards to the 2020 season. After 2019, I was expecting Eduardo to take over in his new role as the ace of the staff, especially with the two big names ahead of him out of the way. Obviously there was no way to predict he’d contract the coronavirus, but that’s where we’re at as of now.

Earlier this weekend Ron Roenicke and the Red Sox named Nathan Eovaldi as the starter for Opening Day. The honor that was once Chris Sale’s to lose, would soon be gifted to Rodriguez and has now fallen in the lap of Nasty Nate. But for Eduardo, his goal is to get back to full strength and into the starting rotation to help his team win. It’s hard to predict when exactly that will be, and with only 60 games this season, rushing things would be a grave error by Boston.

“I just threw a bullpen yesterday and it feels really good location-wise, pitching-wise,” Rodriguez said. “So I’ve got to say thanks (to) God that I’m here, and I’m available to throw. And the way that I felt yesterday was really good.”

If the Sox were to rush E-Rod back to the rotation too soon then it could all but end their chances at the postseason in 2020. Boston’s pitching is already their Achilles’ heel, there’s no need to make it an even bigger weakness for other teams to prey upon.

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For the Red Sox to even sniff October baseball, they’ll need Eduardo at full strength and dealin’ that nasty stuff as he’s known to do. Boston’s pitching staff took another hit today as Collin McHugh has opted out of the 2020 season and will not play. As of now, it feels more like it’s due to his elbow not healing at a quick enough pace for him to be an asset this season for Roenicke and the Sox than anything COVID related. Hopefully, Collin can get healthy and get back on the mound in a hurry!

For Eduardo, losing McHugh only adds more pressure to his shoulders. Based on what we saw from his session yesterday, he’s looking strong on the bump. If Boston is able to get his pitch counts up and get him some serious reps, then I feel he can be back in the rotation before we know it. The Red Sox may have to go through the starters at least once before they have Eddy back on the mound but it’ll be worth it if he’s fully healthy.

“And I don’t want to get that sick again anymore,” Rodriguez said.

Opening Day is less than a week away and the Red Sox will have to bring their absolute best to contend for a shot at October baseball. Having Eduardo Rodriguez healthy and in the starting rotation will only boost those odds as the season progresses. Now that he has a clean bill of health, I’m anxious to see how E-Rod follows up his performance from last year. If 2019 is any indication of what he’s capable of, then the rest of the MLB East should be on notice, because El Gualo is coming for them.