Red Sox rotation dangerously thin after Collin McHugh opts out of 2020 season

Red Sox pitcher Collin McHugh has opted out of the 2020 season.

The Boston Red Sox lost another potential starting rotation option when Collin McHugh surprisingly opted out of the 2020 season.

Manager Ron Roenicke announced on Sunday that McHugh will not pitch in 2020. The right-hander had been working is way back from an elbow injury that ended his 2019 campaign last August. McHugh underwent a procedure to repair the problem back in December but his elbow hasn’t come along as well as he had hoped.

McHugh seemed to be inching toward a return during spring training but his progress stalled when MLB went on hiatus amid the coronaviurs pandemic. Roenicke indicated that McHugh hadn’t thrown a bullpen in “quite a while,” suggesting that he hasn’t resumed throwing since summer camp started.

With Opening Day only five days away, McHugh would not have been ready to begin the season. If he was going to miss a significant chunk of an already shortened season while recovering on the injured list, McHugh felt it was best to stay home with his family instead.

While this difficult decision appears to be based mostly on the lack of progress with his ailing elbow rather than concerns about COVID-19, the pandemic that we’ve yet to escape might have been a factor weighing on McHugh’s mind. We’ve seen other players opt out of the season, or at least consider sitting out, due to health and safety concerns related to the virus. Why should McHugh take the risk when there’s so much uncertainty about when his elbow will be healthy enough to pitch?

McHugh’s departure opens a spot in the Red Sox 60-man player pool and on the 40-man roster, which now sits at 38. With the trade deadline looming only about a month after the season begins, Boston could conceivably save a roster spot or two for a mid-season deal.

The Red Sox signed McHugh to a one-year, $650,000 during the offseason. He came at a bargain following a disappointing season bouncing between the rotation and bullpen for the Houston Astros but he’s shown a high ceiling in both roles in the past.

The health of his elbow probably would have dictated how the Red Sox could use him this year but he ideally would have been utilized as a starter if his arm managed to hold up.

Boston’s rotation is now dangerously thin as the season approaches. Eduardo Rodriguez has successfully recovered from COVID-19 but his late arrival to camp hasn’t left him with enough time to build up his workload, so he’ll open the season in the injured list.

Nathan Eovaldi will get the nod on Opening Day, presumably followed by Martin Perez and Ryan Weber. Recently signed reclamation project Zack Godley could also factor into the mix. That’s an underwhelming crew even if E-Rod is able to return relatively soon.

A healthy McHugh has the upside to improve the perspective of this rotation but that won’t happen this year. It’s unclear if there will be mutual interest in McHugh getting another shot-term “prove it” deal for 2021. Otherwise, his Red Sox career will have ended before it ever truly began.