Joely Rodriguez is unlikely to pitch again this season
Rodriguez's injury-riddled season could be coming to an end.
Boston Red Sox reliever Joely Rodriguez suffered a setback in his injury rehab recently, putting his status for the rest of the season in question.
Rodriguez had been on the 15-day injury list with right hip inflammation since July 31. He felt something in his hip flare up while throwing a bullpen session, which meant the left-hander’s recovery would take much longer than the 15 days the Red Sox had expected.
When asked if there was a possibility that Rodriguez would miss the remainder of the 2023 season, manager Alex Cora did not mince his words.
“Yeah, there’s a good chance,” Cora said.
It’s unfortunate news for the Red Sox, who believed that Rodriguez was progressing well in his rehab.
“The way he was throwing the ball, we felt really, really good where he was,” Cora said. “The velocity was going up and the separation between the fastball and the changeup, you could see it on the swing.”
The Red Sox signed Rodriguez to a $2 million deal in November, making him one of Boston’s first free agent acquisitions of this past offseason. They were counting on him to contribute as one of their only left-handed relievers, but a myriad of injuries prevented that from happening.
Rodriguez started the season on the 15-day injury list with an oblique strain and made his season debut six weeks later. Approximately one month later, shoulder inflammation put him back on the 15-day IL, and the Red Sox activated him a month before his hip brought him right back.
Rodriguez has registered a 6.55 ERA with a 1.75 WHIP in the 11 innings he has pitched this season, and opponents are batting .289 against him. In his absence, multiple left-handed relievers such as Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy have cemented themselves as mainstays in the Red Sox’ bullpen. They became the lethal southpaws the Red Sox expected Rodriguez to be.
Even though Rodriguez could miss the rest of the season, the Red Sox are still hoping to return him to form.
“Now we just have to make sure we get him right and see where it takes us,” Cora said.
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