Eduardo Rodriguez Will Start Red Sox’s Season On DL With Knee Injury

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Eduardo Rodriguez will start the season on the disabled list.

The Red Sox left-hander is recovering from a right knee injury suffered on Feb. 27, but he won’t be ready for the start of the season, Boston manager John Farrell told reporters Thursday.

“We’ll address each phase as it comes,” Farrell said, according to the Boston Herald. “Most importantly, we want to make sure that his stride direction, his stride length, all of those are normal, as we then build the intensity on top of that.”

The Red Sox were holding out hope that Rodriguez would start the season on the active roster, but the 22-year-old still has work to do in his rehab process. Rodriguez did throw a bullpen session Wednesday, but he wasn’t working at 100 percent, which is a big reason he’ll start the season on the DL.

Rodriguez was expected to break camp as part of the starting rotation, meaning Boston now has to find a replacement. The three most likely candidates to take Rodriguez’s spot in the rotation are Henry Owens, Roenis Elias or Stephen Wright.

Rodriguez could play a pivotal role in any success the Red Sox have this season, especially if the pitching staff is going to improve. He made his major league debut in 2015 and impressed. The southpaw made 21 starts, compiling a 10-6 record with a 3.85 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings of work.

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