Take a deep breath, Red Sox fans. David Price is just fine.
The Boston starter left Saturday’s outing against the Houston Astros after facing just three hitters. It was Price’s second start since returning from an 18-day stint on the injured list due to elbow tendinitis, so immediate concern was that the departure was connected to that — especially since Price was in visible discomfort on the mound.
But shortly after getting pulled, the Red Sox announced Price just had flu-like symptoms, and FOX sideline reporter Ken Rosenthal confirmed there’s no issue with the arm/elbow, sharing an update from Price himself.
David Price sent word to me that his arm/elbow is fine. Verified by another source as well. #RedSox announced he was removed with flu-like symptoms.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 26, 2019
During an in-game interview on FOX, Sox manager Alex Cora shared that Price had been battling the flu for a little while.
“He’s been battling the flu for four days,” Cora said, via MassLive. “His progression through the week wasn’t the right one. I talked to him before the game, and he said, ‘I’m going to go out there and battle.’
“Shame on me if I let him go out there and he gets hurt with no energy and the way he was throwing the ball,” Cora added. “We were proactive. We took him out of the game. He’ll get some treatment down there. See what happens.”
Price had thrown just 15 pitches and his fastball topped out at 90 mph, so concern about the health of his arm didn’t seem unfounded. And for what it’s worth, J.D. Martinez reported that he was sick early in the Red Sox’s series against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week.
But with the Red Sox still awaiting the return of Nathan Eovaldi (a return that seems to be getting closer), Price’s arm being fine must give them a sigh of relief.
