The Boston Red Sox reportedly will be without one of their top pitchers until the All-Star break.
Eduardo Rodriguez recently visited orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who advised the left-handed starter to sit out three to four weeks to rest his injured right knee, MLB.com’s Ian Browne reported Monday night, citing a baseball source. Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com was the first to report that Rodriguez is expected to miss three to four weeks, a timetable that the Red Sox have not confirmed.
Fortunately for Boston, Andrews found no ligament damage in Rodriguez’s knee and advised against surgery, but also suggested the 24-year-old “recover conservatively” from the injury.
Rodriguez hit the disabled list last Friday after a bizarre incident Thursday in which he slipped and fell while warming up in the bullpen before his start against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The Venezuela native pitched in the game anyway but got tagged for seven runs over just 5 2/3 innings.
This isn’t the first knee injury for Rodriguez, who dislocated his right kneecap in spring training last season and began the 2016 campaign on the DL. Surgery still is a potential option for Rodriguez down the line, per Browne.
The third-year pro was enjoying an excellent season before Thursday’s injury, taking a 4-1 record and 2.77 ERA into his start against the Orioles. Even after that rough outing, Rodriguez’s 3.54 ERA ranks second among Red Sox pitchers with at least five starts, trailing only Chris Sale.
Boston manager John Farrell is expected to give an update on Rodriguez’s status later Tuesday.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
