Over the weekend after the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox gave updates on a few of their pitchers on the injured list.
The Red Sox do not expect Liam Hendriks or Patrick Sandoval to pitch for the rest of the season, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora spoke about the pitchers' recovery progress before Boston's series finale against the Astros on August 3, and neither was overly confident that the Red Sox would see Hendriks or Sandoval down the stretch.
Hendriks was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to May 28, with hip inflammation. The Red Sox moved him to the 60-day IL when he experienced a setback in early July.
Boston signed Hendriks before the 2024 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The Sox hoped he'd be able to pitch late in the season, but he experienced a setback in his recovery that kept him on the IL all year. He also started the 2025 season on the IL with elbow inflammation1 and wasn't activated until April 19. The veteran has pitched just 13.2 innings with the Red Sox (6.59 ERA), and it appears that number will not increase.
Red Sox don't expect Liam Hendriks, Patrick Sandoval to pitch for the rest of the season
Like Hendriks, the Red Sox signed Sandoval while he recovered from UCL surgery in hopes he'd be able to pitch in the second half of the season. On July 25, Boston announced that Sandoval's throwing progression had been scaled back from bullpen sessions to playing catch.
Hendriks and Sandoval are just the latest recovering pitchers signed by the Red Sox who haven't bounced back as the team hoped. Walker Buehler hasn't looked the same since his UCL surgery in 2022, and Lucas Giolito has only just started looking more like his former Cy Young-caliber self a year and a half after his internal brace procedure.
Breslow has to know by now that signing rehabbing pitchers isn't a winning strategy. Recovery is rarely linear, and banking on injured pitchers to be available for depth later in the season hasn't worked for Boston. If the Red Sox used their resources on healthy pitchers instead, maybe they could've avoided scrambling before the trade deadline.
Red Sox's Justin Slaten threw bullpen session Saturday
Boston does expect at least one of its injured arms to be healthy before season's end. Justin Slaten, who has been on the shelf since May 29 with right shoulder inflammation, threw his first bullpen session on August 2. Cora said there is still no timetable for his return, however.
Slaten was one of the Red Sox's most valuable relievers when he was healthy earlier this season. He posted a 3.47 ERA with 16 strikeouts and seven walks in 23.1 innings. He'll be a huge boost to the Sox's bullpen depth in September, especially after their lackluster trade deadline.