The Boston Red Sox signed closer Liam Hendriks before the 2024 season, knowing they'd play nearly the entire season without him as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
They'll also begin the 2025 season without him. Hendriks was placed on the 15-day injured list before Boston's Opening Day game against the Texas Rangers on March 27. The righty is battling elbow inflammation and didn't recover well after his most recent outing.
Hendriks will visit the doctor who performed his Tommy John surgery, who happens to be based in Arlington, Texas, while the Red Sox play the Rangers in their opening series. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow doesn't believe Hendriks' injury is serious, but Boston is being cautious with him this early in the season.
Red Sox place Liam Hendriks on 15-day IL with elbow inflammation
Hendriks was in the running for the Sox's closer job alongside Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten. The veteran posted a rough spring training, though, and Chapman won the job to start the season. Hendriks allowed seven runs on 14 hits with four strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work in the Grapefruit League. His final appearance was on March 20, and he pitched just a third of an inning.
The Red Sox added Cooper Criswell to the bullpen in Hendriks' stead. Criswell served as a reliable depth starter for Boston in 2024 and posted a 4.08 ERA over 99.1 innings across 26 appearances, 18 of them starts.
Cooper Criswell and Brennan Bernardino made the team with Hendriks to the IL. pic.twitter.com/kSLeXHhdY0
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 27, 2025
Masataka Yoshida placed on Red Sox 10-day IL with a back injury, still rehabbing shoulder after offseason surgery
The Red Sox also announced an injured list stint for Masataka Yoshida before their Opening Day contest against the Rangers. Yoshida was already slated to begin his season with Triple-A Worcester as his recovery from offseason labrum surgery continues, but Boston announced a new issue on March 27.
Yoshida is dealing with a back issue and is traveling back to Boston to have it examined, according to Sean McAdam of MassLive. The Red Sox still have "right shoulder labral repair" listed as the cause of Yoshida's 10-day IL stint, but his back issue could add time to his recovery.
The Red Sox expect to shift Yoshida back to the outfield after a full season as the team's designated hitter in 2024. He batted .286/.286/.400 with a .686 OPS over 11 games in spring training. When Yoshida is healthy, he doesn't strike out and is consistently clutch for Boston. Hopefully, he'll be ready to join the team in the major leagues sooner rather than later.