Adrian Gonzalez, an MVP candidate who's been fantastic in his first year in Boston, left Wednesday's game with a tight left calf. While he hopes the injury won't cost him any time, it's even more nerve-wracking because the middle of the order is already in flux a bit, with David Ortiz missing the last two games due to back spasms.
The Red Sox' starting rotation, meanwhile, has been banged up at various points all season. Each member of the team's initial five-man rotation has been banged up at one point or another. Now, it's Josh Beckett, the team's ace, and Erik Bedard who are trying to battle through injuries.
Beckett will return to the mound on Friday at Fenway against the Rays, but he's been so good when healthy this season that he'll need to be 100 percent going forward if the Sox want to eventually clinch a playoff berth and make a deep run in the postseason. He's been dealing with a sprained right ankle — the ankle he needs in order to push off the mound.
Bedard has battled knee injuries throughout his major league career. While the hope was that he'd be fully healthy and as solid as he once was upon joining Boston, his knee has begun to act up lately, which even forced him to miss a start.
To make matters worse, Bedard is also battling a lat injury, which he said isn't serious but is frustrating. Jon Lester, of course, spent time on the DL earlier in the season with a lat issue, although Bedard is listed as day-to-day.
Which injured Red Sox player are you most concerned about right now?
