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Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks donned T-shirt and shorts for frigid Fenway Park throwing session
"We have a lot of high upside," Hendriks said of the 2025 Red Sox pitching staff.
It was a long way from what most Red Sox fans would call ideal baseball weather at Fenway Park on Wednesday, but that didn’t deter pitchers Liam Hendriks and Richard Fitts from getting some throwing in while (in Hendriks’ case) making some summertime sartorial choices.
The Australian native’s attire was conspicuous given the 20-degree January weather: Shorts and a T-shirt. But having not pitched at the Major League level since 2023 while recovering from Tommy John Surgery, Hendriks’ mere presence throwing at the ballpark may have been a hopeful sight for Red Sox fans.
Video of Hendriks was shared by WEEI’s Rob Bradford:
Fact: playing catch in 20 degree weather isn’t boring, as Liam Hendriks and Richard Fitts are proving right now pic.twitter.com/uDyYwY5SNl
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) January 8, 2025
Hendriks, 35, signed with Boston in Feb. 2024 on a two-year deal worth $10 million. He was quickly placed on the 60-day injured list, eventually making rehab appearances for both the team’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in August.
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Earlier on Wednesday, he spoke with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” about the team’s pitching staff and also his home country’s climate.
“It’s about 100 degrees right now back home. It’s perfect beach weather,” he noted of life in the southern hemisphere. “It’s always nice on Christmas Day, you fire up the barbecue and you hang outside on the patio.”
Assessing the Red Sox offseason moves so far — which have included the acquisitions of starters Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet — Hendriks sees risk but also reward.
“I’m excited,” Hendriks added of the upgraded pitching staff. “I think it’s going to be a great team. We have a lot of high upside, a lot of high swing-and-miss stuff, which is one thing I think they were really focusing on a lot this offseason. So a lot of positives in that.”
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“It’s obviously a little bit more of a volatile couple [of] pitchers that they’ve added, but look it’s part and parcel,” Hendriks continued. “You pay the cost of the entry fee, and the entry fee is a high-upside guy. A little volatile every now and then, but I think it’s definitely ticking up as far as the pitching staff goes.”
Hendriks is a three-time All-Star, and won the 2023 AL Comeback Player of the Year after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was also Boston’s nominee for the annual Roberto Clemente Award in 2024.
The Red Sox, as Hendriks pointed out, were expected to finish in last place in 2024, yet managed to close out the season with a .500 record (81-81). Should Hendriks and the rest of the pitching staff find a groove, it could propel Boston back into playoff contention.
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