UPDATE: According to Alex Cora in the postgame, it was Chapman's back barking, and he doesn't believe it to be serious. We'll monitor in the days to come.
From the moment Aroldis Chapman stepped on the mound in the eighth inning of the Boston Red Sox's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was clear that something wasn't right.
The flame-throwing reliever walked the first two batters he faced, including on a pitch clock violation against Miguel Rojas. He got Shohei Ohtani to fly out but proceeded to walk gingerly along the third base line afterward, which prompted a mound visit from manager Alex Cora and a member of the team's training staff.
Chapman exited the game after a brief discussion and was replaced by Jordan Hicks. Of particular concern was the velocity of his four-seam fastball prior to his departure. According to Mike Monaco of NESN, Chapman hadn't thrown a fastball slower than 94.7 mph prior to Sunday, but he threw two against the rangers – one at 93.3 mph and one at 94.3 mph – to the Dodgers prior to his removal from the game.
Chapman averaged 94.6 mph on the day, which was significantly less than his season average of 98.5 mph. His fastest pitch of the day was 95.8 mph. Cora said after the game that Chapman was dealing with tightness in his back and that the team is hopeful he won't require an IL stint.
Aroldis Chapman exits Red Sox-Dodgers with ominous injury after chaotic outing
It's been an eventful week for Chapman, who had just recorded his longest outing of the season (four outs) on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies but but blew his second save of the year when he gave up a game-tying home run to J.T. Realmuto. On Saturday, he struck out Mookie Betts to end the game and seal a 4-2 win for the Red Sox.
Chapman, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox in free agency during the offseason, has been one of the Red Sox's most pleasant surprises of 2025 so far. In 44 appearances entering Sunday's game, he owns a 1.31 ERA while striking out 61 batters in 41 1/3 innings.
Hicks was able to get the final five outs of the game for Boston to secure the 4-3 win over the Dodgers. The severity of Chapman’s injury remains unknown, but the reduced fastball velocity remains cause for concern.
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