The Red Sox scratched the left Eduardo rodriguez of his start of the day due to a “dead arm”, manager Alex Cora announced to reporters this morning (Twitter links via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com). Veteran companion Nathan Eovaldi instead, it will take the hill to the opening of the season. At this point, the Sox are calling the precautionary move and are not even sure that Rodriguez will be placed on the injured list. He will launch a bullpen in the next few days, and the team will evaluate him as soon as he sees how his arm responds. It is possible that Rodriguez will simply have his first season postponed, but there will be no clarity on the matter for a few days.
Rodriguez, 27, did not launch in 2020 after being diagnosed with Covid-19 and then developing a subsequent case of myocarditis – an enlarged heart – in the aftermath. Rodriguez not only looked healthy during most of the spring training, but he looked quite impressive, playing 13 2/3 entries and holding his opponents in four races won in 11 strokes and two walks with 15 eliminations. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2021 season.
A few more notes about the Red Sox …
- There were no conversations about an extension with Rafael Devers this spring, as the third baseman himself revealed this week (via Cotillo). Devers added that he is very open to discussing an agreement, however. The 24-year-old is still in control during the 2023 season, so there is no immediate rush for the Red Sox to catch him in a long-term deal. That said, he also reached the point in his career when he started building a financial safety net that removes part of a player’s incentive to make an early settlement. Devers reached eligibility for arbitration this winter and agreed to a $ 4,575 million one-year contract for the 2021 season. As long as he remains healthy and approaches the .298 / .348 / .536 production he produced in 2019-20. , he is expected to see a considerable increase in that sum next winter as well.
- The Red Sox informed the choice of the draft of Rule 5 Garrett Whitlock that he made the opening day list, Cora also revealed in a conversation with reporters this morning (Twitter link via Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). This should not come as a surprise, given the excellent spring that the right-handed man mounted. Whitlock, a pick from rival Yankees’ 18th round in 2017, pitched in four games with the Sox and scored nine entries, allowing for a run in eight strokes and no walk with a dozen eliminations. The 24-year-old will likely have a ticket to the Boston bullpen to start the season, but he worked almost exclusively as a starter in the Yankees system, so it is possible that he will end up working out of rotation in Boston – if he stays on the list for the long term.