Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is back on the mound
As we all wait with bated breath for the Boston Red Sox front office to start implementing their plan of attack this offseason, fans got a bit of exciting news today. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who missed the entire 2020 season due to COVID and a developed case of myocarditis is back on the mound and throwing some heat. The southpaw saw a career year in 2019 and will look to mimic or possibly even surpass those efforts in 2021.
Now, I can already hear some of you out there saying that this isn’t exciting and shouldn’t even be considered anything worth getting hyped about. Well, you’re wrong. Back in 2019 when guys like Chris Sale and David Price were non-factors, Rodriguez stepped up in a big way to command the starting rotation. He was set to be the Opening Day starter with Price sent to Los Angeles and Sale on the shelf, until COVID took his season away.
With the big lefty owning a clean bill of health and beginning the process to get back on the mound in 2021, today’s glimpse is a good sign. Sale is still on the mend, though, it looks as if he may be able to make his return ahead of the summer as originally thought. Nathan Eovaldi is the only sure-thing holdover from 2020, but Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck both looked good in their late-season outings.
Having E-Rod back in the fold will give Alex Cora some semblance of the team he managed back in 2019 and more familiar faces in the clubhouse. The recently re-hired skipper made a visit to MLB Network and spoke about Eduardo’s road back to the rotation and how the team plans to approach his recovery.
"“In Eduardo’s situation, the most important part is that he’s healthy, right? Forget the baseball part of it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday during an appearance on MLB Network. “He can have a regular life. He’s working out. He’s going after it, which is pretty exciting. He started playing catch. As of now, he’s on pace to be ready for the start of the season.”"
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One thing that could work in Eduardo’s favor this year is the fact that the owners are angling to get the start of the season delayed in hopes of getting the COVID vaccine to the players. If the season is pushed back then that only buys E-Rod more time to get himself all the way back to 100%. For the Red Sox, having one of their top pitchers at full strength is a must, considering how atrocious their pitching staff was in 2020.
Again, some of you out there may think that a guy tossing off a mound in practice doesn’t mean a damn, but again, you’re wrong. Rodriguez is a guy that the Red Sox desperately needed this past season and at this point seeing that he looks like he could go in 2021 is exciting. If you’re out here trying to say that even a fraction of his 19-6/3.81/203.1/1.328/3.3/9.4 line from 2019 wouldn’t have helped Boston this year, then I’ve got nothing else for ya.
"“Obviously, we’re not going to push him. We’re going to be very careful. It’s something very serious. I’m glad he’s upbeat and he’s going through his workouts as normal as possible.”"
Getting Eduardo Rodriguez back will only boost what Alex Cora can do with this team in the upcoming season. Even if the lefty isn’t back to his former self, getting someone of his caliber in the rotation is far better than what the Red Sox trotted out in 2020. Seeing him not only throwing but doing so off the mound and with some solid movement and zip makes me optimistic for this season. Will Boston be contending for the postseason, probably not, but at least on days where E-Rod is pitching, I may not be as miserable as the rest.