Liam

Hendriks

Hendriks was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier on Tuesday and will be on the shelf until at least late July. There should be an update on his status at some point later this week.

Hendriks has been out since May 28 with right hip inflammation, and there haven’t really been any updates on his status since. Maybe he’ll return in August, but it probably won’t be a closing candidate for the Red Sox.

Hendriks, 36, will need to miss at least two weeks, but there’s a good chance this will be a longer stint on the shelf than the minimum 15 days. The right-hander will be out of action and replaced by Nick Burdi on the active roster.

No word on the injury for Hendriks. He appeared to hurt his leg covering first base on Saturday, but he had pitched twice since then.

Hendricks came up a little lame running to cover first base on the second out of the inning and got a visit from the trainer, but it proved to be a quick one, and he remained in to secure the final out of the inning. Hopefully, it proves to be nothing.

This was the first time Hendriks had appeared in an MLB game since June of 2023. Over the last few years, Hendriks has battled back from stage four cancer and Tommy John surgery, so it’s nice to see him out on the field. Hendriks came into the game with the Red Sox down by just one run in the eighth inning and allowed a two-strike single to Luis Robert Jr. and then a two-run homer to Andrew Vaughn. He didn’t look as crisp as we’re used to seeing, and he averaged 95.3 mph on his fastball, which is down a bit from his heyday, but Hendriks should be a usable reliever for the Red Sox this season. He’s just unlikely to get many save opportunities if he remains close to this version of himself.

It’s been a long road back for Hendriks, who last pitched in the big leagues on June 9, 2023 when he was a member of the White Sox. The 36-year-old veteran righty will be available out of the bullpen for Saturday’s showdown against Chicago at Fenway Park. He’s unlikely to be thrust back into high-leverage situations right away, but he figures to work his way into those spots in the near future.

Red Sox’ manager Alex Cora told reporters after Friday’s game that there’s a “good chance” Hendriks will join the team’s bullpen on Saturday. The expected corresponding move will be Hunter Dobbins returning to Triple-A Worcester. When Hendriks makes his Red Sox’ debut it will be his first appearance in the big leagues since June 9, 2023.

Cora also added that there’s a “good chance” Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Liam Hendriks (elbow), who are both making minor league rehab appearances on Wednesday for Double-A Portland, return next week. Dobbins is intriguing for fantasy purposes, especially after striking out five batters and allowing two runs over five frames to pick up a win over the Cardinals in his major-league debut back on April 6. There’s some streaming appeal here for fantasy managers against a White Sox lineup that isn’t very threatening.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Hendriks will likely be activated for Friday’s series opener against the White Sox. The 36-year-old veteran tossed a scoreless inning on Sunday for Triple-A Worcester and will make at least one additional rehab outing before making his long-awaited Boston debut at Fenway Park.