Barring any setbacks, the Boston Red Sox will welcome Eduardo Rodriguez back to their starting rotation in 2021.
The left-hander missed all of last season due to a heart condition (myocarditis) that was related to his bout with COVID-19. After spending the offseason ramping back up to playing shape, Rodriguez appears ready to take the mound again for a Red Sox team that missed him dearly in 2020.
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"Eddie threw a bullpen yesterday. He actually did a good job in PFPs. You know he was trying to trick me into like he can run whatever," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday. "Eddie likes his Instagram a lot. I see him working out in Miami, and I saw him running against J.D. like 10 days ago. So, you know, there's no excuses there. He's a full go. Eddie's a full go. He's is in a good spirit. He looks in great shape. He worked hard during the offseason to get to this point and, you know, very excited to, to have a full season of Eddie and see what he can do."
Rodriguez unquestionably was Boston's best starting pitcher during the 2019 season. The 27-year-old posted a 19-6 record with a 3.81 ERA in 34 starts. He led the team in both wins and innings pitched (203.1), and his strikeout total of 213 trailed only Chris Sale (218).
Cora hopes to see E-Rod pick up where he left off in '19, but noted the importance of closely monitoring the southpaw's health going forward.
"We had a taste in 2019, he put a full season two years ago and I expect the same thing but obviously his health is the most important thing," Cora said. "We have to be careful, the way we treat him, but he's a full go. That doesn't mean that we're gonna put restrictions on him. We'll take care of him. But I know he feels great where he's at right now."
Boston Red Sox
Rodriguez will return to a rotation that also consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Garrett Richards, and Nick Pivetta. There currently is no clear timetable for Sale's return from Tommy John surgery.