Wave of mutilation: The latest injuries

The Gray Eagle

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On a wave of mutilation
A wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuHeAs0rw5M



Injuries always have a big impact on every team every year. This year's Sox roster has more question marks than the Riddler's suit, so health/injuries will probably be even more impactful than usual.
Seems like we should have a place to talk about injury news updates, estimated return dates, etc.

Today we learned that Chris Murphy is getting his elbow looked at.
https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2024/03/red-sox-lefty-to-undergo-mri-on-elbow-monday-worry-of-course.html
Lefty Chris Murphy, who was competing for a spot on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster, has been shut down and will undergo an MRI on his elbow Monday.
“Not recovering well from the last one in the elbow area,” manager Alex Cora said Monday at JetBlue Park. “So we’ll see what’s going on there. Obviously worry of course. But we’ll have more probably mostly likely tomorrow morning.”

“He was unable to bounce back,” Cora said. “He was a little bit concerned with the elbow. We are, too. So we’ll take a look at it.”
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Jansen was pushed back a day probably due to back soreness:
View: https://twitter.com/SmittyOnMLB/status/1769745487182094344


O'Neill was scratched for this weekend but is expected to be ready to play Tuesday:
https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-injuries-and-roster-moves
After skipping the trip to the Dominican Republic last weekend due to calf tightness, O'Neill returned to the lineup this week and played a couple of games. However, after originally being in Friday's lineup as the right fielder and then moved to DH, O'Neill was removed from the lineup entirely with recurring tightness in his calf. Manager Alex Cora was asked after the game if he was concerned about O'Neill.
“I'll be concerned if he doesn't play Tuesday. Let's put it that way," Cora said. "Yesterday, the trip over there [to Clearwater], he said he felt tight on the way back. So today he moved around a little bit. He did the pregame stuff and he was smart enough to let us know. We'll give him the weekend off. He wanted to push for Monday. I decided, 'Let's go Tuesday.' I think that's better. We still have plenty of time."
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Giolito obviously is out for the season.

Grissom was first reported to be unlikely to make opening day, and now has been updated to mid to late April.

Chris Martin threw live BP on Saturday, which was good news after having to stop a previous BP a week before. He'll throw again tomorrow, either BP or a game.

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/red-soxs-chris-martin-throws-live-bp/
Martin's attempt at a live BP session a week ago ended after two pitches due to groin tightness. The righty setup reliever completed this session and is ready for the next step Tuesday, which will either be another batting practice session or his Grapefruit League debut. Martin estimates he'll need four appearances to be ready for the regular season.
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Refsnyder has a broken bone in his toe and will miss the first month.
Zach Kelly is listed as questionable for the start of the season due to an oblique injury. (Meaning an injury to an abdominal muscle, not an injury that is obscure, devious, or underhanded.)
Bryan Mata hasn't pitched in games yet this spring due to a hamstring injury.

CBS sports lists our current injuries:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/BOS/boston-red-sox/injuries/

Interestingly they list Liam Hendriks as "Expected to be out until at least Aug 1". I haven't seen anyone else talk about him pitching this year. I wouldn't count on it, though in this video interview after he signed, he says he wants to be throwing by the trade deadline, so maybe that's where they got the August 1 thing:
https://www.mlb.com/video/liam-hendriks-on-signing-with-red-sox-recovery
 
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Cassvt2023

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Thanks for starting a thread on this @The Gray Eagle. As painful as it is to discuss (pun intended), there certainly is enough going on to merit its own spot here. And nice work on the title of it, Michael Stipe and the R.E.M boys would be proud :)
 
The Gray Eagle

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Updates:

Murphy has ligament damage in his elbow, yikes.

Jansen won't pitch today, hopefully will tomorrow but might not make it by Opening Day.
 
The Gray Eagle

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O'Neill is in the lineup today as a DH, so that's good news. Hopefully he stays healthy and gets back on the field soon.
He's another guy who didn't have a full season last year that we are counting on to have one this year.
 
The Gray Eagle

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Edit: hah, beaten by RR!

The radio broadcast said Grissom took BP on the field today.

Martin apparently pitched in a minor league game and hit 96 mph with a pitch, so more good news.
 
YTF

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8slim

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Devers has been playing with some pain for a while, according the The Athletic:

"In Fort Myers, the pain wasn’t that big,” he said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benetiz. “I was able to handle it and play with it. But playing with that pain, it was getting worse and worse and worse to the point where I decided to stop.”
 
cornwalls@6

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8slim said:
Devers has been playing with some pain for a while, according the The Athletic:

"In Fort Myers, the pain wasn’t that big,” he said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benetiz. “I was able to handle it and play with it. But playing with that pain, it was getting worse and worse and worse to the point where I decided to stop.”
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That sounds both ominous, and ass backwards in terms of managing whatever is going on.
 
CoffeeNerdness

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Staring down the barrel of a long term stint of Bobby Dalbec at third is a great way to kill the early season vibes. Ugh.
 
moondog80

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What's the solution if Devers has to take, say, a month off? Reyes to 3rd, Rafaella plays some 2B until Grissom comes back, and more Abreu in the OF? Too soon for Yorke or Meidroth, right?
 
Rovin Romine

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moondog80 said:
What's the solution if Devers has to take, say, a month off? Reyes to 3rd, Rafaella plays some 2B until Grissom comes back, and more Abreu in the OF? Too soon for Yorke or Meidroth, right?
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Valdez has experience at 3B, and we have Romy Gonzalez (not on the 40 man) as well.

Sadly, I expect we'll see Dalbec there. I don't think his defense at 3B is so bad that shuffling everyone else around will bring a clear net upgrade. His offense will be terrible, punctuated by a power outburst here or there - if we're lucky they'll be in meaningful spots, but there's a chance he'll lob a few contextually meaningless balls over the wall. The question is - will it be worth it to upgrade to Reyes or Gonzalez or the like, just for the offense?

Against lefties, no. Against righties, yes - absolutely.

So how many LHPs are we due to face?
 
HfxBob

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Seems like a flaw in roster construction got exposed in Game 2, in the form of Mr. Dalbec.
 
CoffeeNerdness

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Rafaela to the IF seems like a non-starter to me. Keep the continuity in the OF and cobble things together in the IF if we're actually looking at an extended Devers absence.
 
CR67dream

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How about playing Valdez at third (against righties), Reyes at second, and bringing up Hamilton for depth if Devers goes to the IL? Certainly not ideal, but seems better than a huge dose of Bobby D against RHP. Keep Rafaela where he is.
 
Cassvt2023

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Raffy and Cora said a day or two to be safe, as its early in the season. I think you'll see him sit again tonight, then be back in there Easter Sunday. Not gonna panic yet. I'm guessing Abreu gets the start tonight to get another LHH in the lineup and Dalbec or Reyes start at third and hit lower in the order.
 
Cassvt2023

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CR67dream said:
How about playing Valdez at third (against righties), Reyes at second, and bringing up Hamilton for depth if Devers goes to the IL? Certainly not ideal, but seems better than a huge dose of Bobby D against RHP. Keep Rafaela where he is.
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I agree with keeping Rafaela in CF, but i think i'd also keep Valdez at 2b against RHP, as that is where he has been working in the offseason and spring to get better. Short term, Bobby D and Pablo can handle 3B, longer term, may have to call someone like Hamilton or Meidroth up. I hope it doesn't get to that.
 
moondog80

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LogansDad said:
Lots and lots of people are going to suck against George Kirby this season, not just Dalbec.
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Dalbec has a track record of sucking against a lot more than George Kirby, check out that K rate in AAA last year. And he’s not a 3B. He shouldn’t be on the roster.
 
8slim

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HfxBob said:
That clearly wasn't the intent of what I said. I'm hardly the first to question Dalbec's presence on the 26-man roster.
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I don't love Dalbec being on the roster either.

However, I presume he's there to give Devers and Casas the occasional day off. If either of them is out for any extended amount of time we're pretty screwed no matter who's on the roster.

Let's hope this truly is a couple-day thing for Devers.
 
CR67dream

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BravesField said:
Blaming Dalbec for the team losing a game 1-nil?

It's going to be a long, long season....
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No one is blaming Dalbec for the loss, but it really does expose a weakness in roster construction should Devers miss significant time. Thankfully it seems that there are other options should the injury persist, and I think Dalbec is only with the team because Ref got hurt and won't be here long.

And I'm fine with leaving Valdez at second and having Reyes cover third most days if that's what they do, but as soon as Grissom is ready, Valdez will have to move around anyway, so a platoon at third with Bobby being exposed as little as possible against RHP would seem like a logical way to proceed.

Hopefully Devers is back by tomorrow and makes all this moot.
 
Fishy1

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Dalbec is going to struggle against right-handed pitching, but he might could hit a few homers, nonetheless. The K rate in AAA was astronomical last year and he also had an astronomical BABIP of .364, which I don't expect he'll replicate in the majors. An OPS of .938 is nothing to sneeze at, at any level, but the quality of RHP in the majors is so good I just can't see him playing every day for any significant chunk of time.

Valdez stays at 2B, Dalbec and Reyes split time at third for now. And if Devers is out for a long time, I wouldn't really call it a failure of roster construction. It's rare for a team, any team, to have another great player to back up their best player's position. Dalbec was there to pinch hit against LHP and get the occasional start, and now the lineup will be quite a bit thinner until he comes back.
 
HfxBob

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Probably a good chance of seeing 'Devers' and 'cortisone' in the same sentence soon.
 
Harry Hooper

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moondog80 said:
Dalbec has a track record of sucking against a lot more than George Kirby, check out that K rate in AAA last year. And he’s not a 3B.
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Whatever his flaws, per MiLB Dalbec has logged way more games at 3B than at 1B (356 vs. 63).

Since Boggs-ian jumps in fielding prowess are quite rare, I am skeptical of the ST talk about Valdez's improvement. If Cora truly believes in that improvement, then keep him at 2B. Otherwise, I'd move Rafaela in to 2B as you have Abreu and Yoshida for OF duty. Valdez gets time at 3B and DH with Dalbec or whomever.
 
Ale Xander

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If Devers is out for any sort of time, I could see Sogard up as UT and Reyes getting more time at 3B
 
Ale Xander

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Harry Hooper said:
Whatever his flaws, per MiLB Dalbec has logged way more games at 3B than at 1B (356 vs. 63).

Since Boggs-ian jumps in fielding prowess are quite rare, I am skeptical of the ST talk about Valdez's improvement. If Cora truly believes in that improvement, then keep him at 2B. Otherwise, I'd move Rafaela in to 2B as you have Abreu and Yoshida for OF duty. Valdez gets time at 3B and DH with Dalbec or whomever.
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Why would you downgrade defense at 3 or 4 positions?
 
Fishy1

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I don't want to see Valdez at 3B very much. It's not that it's inherently a more challenging position or anything, I just don't really trust the guy to move around the diamond. Charging grounders and throwing on the run is not something I'm sure he's got the skills for. I don't know.

Rafaela, on the other hand, I would trust to play some third base if needed.
 
moondog80

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moondog80 said:
This. Even against lefties he struck out 11 times in 22 MLB plate appearances last year. I don't see a single skill that is MLB caliber. I'd rather having Yu Chang back, as least he was a legit fielder. The sad part is that he's on the roster because they didn't want to pay for someone else.
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Did you not see the defense? Also I’m sure 22 plate appearances is plenty of sample size.
 
Fishy1

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bosockboy said:
Solano is still a FA.
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This is a great point. But I suspect they'll want to give Dalbec a little run first, and see how bad things are for Devers, before they make a move on him.

I mean, Dalbec's career numbers, including a wrc+ of 97, are pretty much identical to Adam Duvall's, and half the board was clamoring for us to sign him again. I don't see it would kill us to give Dalbec a little run while Devers is out.

If Devers does have a torn labrum or something, then sure, grab Solano for 2 million or whatever. It probably won't save this team from purgatory, but it'll make them more fun to watch.
 
moondog80

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Ale Xander said:
Did you not see the defense? Also I’m sure 22 plate appearances is plenty of sample size.
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How about the 109 plate appearances referenced in the tweet? Or the 491 in AAA where he struck out 169 times (30% K rate vs LHP, 35% vs RHP)? Or the 61 in spring training where struck out 21 times? Is that enough sample size?
 
Cassvt2023

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moondog80 said:
How about the 109 plate appearances referenced in the tweet? Or the 491 in AAA where he struck out 169 times (30% K rate vs LHP, 35% vs RHP)? Or the 61 in spring training where struck out 21 times? Is that enough sample size?
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I think you've made your point that you're not a fan of Bobby Dalbec. Hopefully Devers is back in there tomorrow and there's nothing to see here.
 
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