Ron Roenicke Reveals Andrew Benintendi May Not Return To Red Sox In 2020

Andrew Benintendi’s rough 2020 Major League Baseball season just got a little bit tougher.

The Red Sox outfielder has been dealing with a rib cage strain he suffered in Boston’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 12 was placed in the 10-day injured list.

Manager Ron Roenicke believed from the beginning that Benintendi would miss more than the day 10 days. But he’s still experiencing pain.

“He’s still a ways away,” Roenicke told reporters during his Zoom press conference prior to Boston’s game against the Atlanta Braves. “He’s still on the treadmill. He’s doing some incline walking. He’s better sleeping now, he doesn’t have as much pain as he did before. But it’s still there. Any rotational activity is still painful. So unfortunately this thing is slow like we possibly thought it could be. …”

And now it becomes a question if Benintendi even will return in 2020.

“I think that’s a possibility,” Roenicke said. “I hope somewhere along the lines here we get rid of the soreness and he’s able to progress quickly. But it’s just too hard to say.”

Benintendi was batting a mere .103 in 39 at-bats this season.

Thumbnail photo via Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports Images