3 Red Sox offseason additions we should already be concerned about

2) Why Red Sox fans should be concerned about Joely Rodriguez

Joely Rodriguez will begin the year on the IL with an oblique strain. The lefty reliever was signed to a modest contract this offseason, awarding him with a guarantee of $1.5 million this year with some incentives and a team option for 2024. He pitched just 2.2 innings for the Red Sox before getting hurt this spring. We can’t really count much against him for allowing 5 earned runs in such a small sample.

Something worth noting first is how average he has been in his 146 big league innings. Rodriguez is coming off of a year with the New York Mets which saw him go 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA. It’s actually slightly better than the 4.56 ERA he has in his career.

As concerned as everyone should be, the Red Sox should be fine without him. Richard Bleier is available to give them the lefty reliever innings they need. Plenty of other arms on the depth chart could make their way into the bullpen if it ever became a larger need for Alex Cora.

Anytime a player’s career with a new club begins with an IL stint should raise a few eyebrows. Spring injuries can be weird, too. Whatever timeline we think players may have in their recovery process may not be true.