Red Sox lose Eduardo Rodriguez for 2020
Yesterday afternoon the Red Sox were dealt the news it feels like many of us were expecting, Eduardo Rodriguez won’t be pitching in 2020. The lefty tested positive for COVID before making it to camp and spoke about how awful his battle with the virus was. He then passed the medical protocol to get into camp but had run into a massive setback.
He’s developed a case of Myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle, due to his run-in with the coronavirus. It’s a side effect that is starting to rear its ugly head in those of a certain age that have contracted the virus. Rodriguez was set to be Boston’s ace and workhorse for 2020 after the departures of David Price and Rick Porcello, as well as, the injury to Chris Sale.
After hearing E-Rod speak about his ordeal with the virus it, at least in my mind, made 2020 feel like a longshot for the southpaw. Now that it’s certain that he won’t be pitching this season, he can focus solely on his health and getting himself back to normal, or as close as possible.
Chaim Bloom spoke to the media yesterday afternoon once the news was made clear about E-Rod’s status and the Red Sox CBO is optimistic we’ll see a return in 2021.
"“We are confident that he’s going to make a full recovery and that his longterm prognosis is excellent, but the fact of the matter is there’s just just not enough time left this season to safely ramp him back up to pitching,” Bloom said."
I think it’s a smart move by both the Red Sox and Eduardo to not try and force a comeback with such little time in the 2020 season. If this were a regular 162 game campaign, maybe, but with time not on anyone’s side, it’s not worth it. Though his case isn’t considered severe, it’s still not worth jeopardizing his health long-term just to get a few starts in what’s quickly becoming a lost season.
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For the Red Sox, losing Eduardo is another gut-punch to the squads already depleted pitching staff. And if you’ve watched a single game this year, depleted is a very nice way to put it. This also means that Nathan Eovaldi will continue to be the top-dog in Boston’s rotation, something that he’s shown he can handle up to this point in 2020. But by not having that reliable veteran arm in E-Rod, the Red Sox don’t have much of a chance at postseason baseball.
We still don’t know what Sale will look like upon his return to the team in 2021 so we very well may get to see Eduardo have his shot at being the ace of the staff still. His 2019 stats, 19-6/3.81/203.1/75-213, more than earn him the opportunity to be the man. If he’s healthy and Sale is still working his way back from Tommy John, then I say go ahead and give E-Rod the chance he should’ve gotten this year.
"“We’re very fortunate that this is a mild case, but while the heart is affected like this, we just can’t responsibly put this kind of cardiovascular load on him,” Bloom said."
It’s beyond responsible for the Red Sox to not push Rodriguez to a comeback in a season that’s riddle with COVID outbreaks and little hope of success. When it comes down to what’s important though, nothing surpasses health and safety. As we see more and more teams get shut down due to the virus, it’s becoming less important to play baseball. With his health already up in the air, saving Eduardo for next year could be the best thing for him and the Red Sox in the long-run.