Red Sox News: Ryan Brasier hospitalized after suffering line drive to head

Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier hospitalized after head injury

In a scary moment for everyone involved, this afternoon Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier suffered a line drive hit to the head and has been hospitalized for observation. Per NESN’s Alexandra Francisco, The right-hander is in stable condition and will be kept under supervision for the next 24 hours to monitor any possible changes. Things haven’t been going Brasier’s way for some time now and this is another massive hurdle that he will have to overcome.

A calf strain has kept the reliever on the shelf for the entirety of the season up to this point but things had finally started to turn around. He was showing enough progress that it was felt by many that a rehab assignment was in the near future for the righty. During his media time today, Red Sox skipper Alex Cora not only filled everyone in on Brasier’s situation but what the plan was going to be for him coming up.

"“We got bad news with Brase,” Cora said in his Zoom availability. “He got actually hit by a line drive on his right side, right around here (his head). He was taken to the hospital. He’s under observation. He’s stable. Actually I texted with him not too long ago. Obviously not happy, but he’s going to be under observation the next 24 hours, so like I said, he’s stable. We’re going to have more information throughout the day and tomorrow.”"

Brasier came to the Red Sox via free agency in 2018 and quickly became a key member of the championship-winning bullpen that year. He would pitch 33.2 innings in 34 games with a 1.60 ERA, 0.772 WHIP, and 29/7 K/BB ratio. His 7.8 K/9 was a glimpse at what he was capable of as he’d increase it to 9.9 in 2019, and 10.8 in 2020.

The righty would make nine appearances in the 2018 postseason where he’d dominate to the tune of a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings of work. He did run into a hiccup as far as free passes are concerned as he gave up 5 walks in October compared to only 7 that he gave up during the regular season. Still, he would prove to be one of Alex Cora’s trusted arms and his spot was secured for 2019 as the Boston bullpen would see a shift and shakeup.

"“It was actually a sim game and it was a line drive,” Cora said. “It got him, yeah. The plan was for him to actually fly to Boston after that and then most likely send him on a rehab assignment next week.”"

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His workload would increase in 2019 though he still proved to be a reliable reliever for Boston despite the season being lost early in the campaign. It was thought that he would be one of the cornerstones in the relief efforts this year and with the bullpen still a bit in flux, his arm could be a major help to AC and the squad. If today’s sim game went well we were likely going to see him head to the minors to shake the rust off and work his way back to the club.

You never want to see something like this happen especially to a guy that can play such a pivotal role for a team. Things like this can’t be predicted and unfortunately for Brasier, it’s just another thing to pile onto his plate as he fights to make his return to Boston. The right-hander is one hell of a player and can once again be a serious weapon for the Red Sox.

For a guy that was so close to returning this is heartbreaking. In the grander scheme of things I just want him to be healthy, baseball can wait. His health both now and in the long term is far more important than a game. Hopefully, he sees a solid recovery and is able to go day-to-day without any effects from the hit.  We here at BoSox Injection are sending nothing but positive vibes his way and wish him a smooth and speedy recovery.