The Boston Red Sox have had the worst bullpen in Major League Baseball since the All-Star break. But perhaps things are finally looking up.
Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks (31) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
In the two crucial wins Boston picked up against the Houston Astros earlier this week, the bullpen totaled 8 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to nail down the series. It was a gutsy effort from a group that has been undermanned and outgunned for the better part of a month.
However, to make it to the postseason, which Boston sorely hopes to do, they could use another high-powered arm. They hope that arm, a former three-time All-Star, is currently on his way back.
Liam Hendriks, who signed with the Red Sox in the off-season while recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery, made his second rehab appearance of the season Thursday night with Double-A Portland. Unlike his first rehab outing, the results were a bit of a mixed bag.
Hendriks threw 12 pitches and faced just three batters. He allowed a leadoff single, induced a line drive to left field, then issued a walk before coming out of the game mid-inning.
On the surface, it looked like a mixed bag for a 35-year-old trying to readjust to game action. But there was also something unusual about the final plate appearance of Hendriks' outing.
According to Josh Ball of Beyond the Monster, Hendriks' walk, issued to New York Yankees farmhand Cole Gabrielson, came on a pitch clock violation, which Hendriks committed while getting set to throw the full-count pitch.
Ball also reported that Hendriks' fastball was sitting at 93-94 miles per hour, just shy of the 95.4 mph he averaged with the Chicago White Sox in 2023.
26-year-old Brendan Celucci came in to clean up Hendriks' mess, shutting the Somerset Patriots down for 3 2/3 innings to secure a 3-1 win for Portland.
Hendriks still has no definitive timetable to return to the big leagues, with estimates ranging from five to eight total rehab appearances. He threw a perfect inning of relief in his first outing, which he threw with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
Anything the Red Sox can get from Hendriks down the stretch would be a huge bonus, and he could be a game-changer if he can come close to the All-Star form he had a few seasons back. Hopefully, he's got the pitch clock figured out by that time as well.
