Red Sox Reinstate Six From IL Including Chris Sale, Dustin Pedroia; What That Means

The Boston Red Sox made a series of roster moves Saturday that on the surface seem notable, but shouldn’t be read into all that much.

Boston reinstated Chris Sale and Dustin Pedroia from the 60-day injured list. Andrew Benintendi, Colten Brewer and Kyle Hart were reinstated from the 45-day injured list, while Eduardo Rodriguez was reinstated from the IL.

So does that mean they’ll all be back and healthy for the start of next season? Not quite.

Basically, this move is so the Red Sox know what they’re working with as it relates to adding players to the 40-man roster. Guys on the long-term injury list (like the aforementioned players) don’t actually count against the 40-man roster.

So by reinstating them, the Red Sox’s 40-man roster now stands at 37. They’ll presumably fill those spots ahead of the Rule 5 draft, and once next season approaches and it’s clear guys like Pedroia and Sale aren’t ready, they’ll like shift back to a long-term IL situation, at which point the Sox can replace their spot on the 40-man.

Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he’ll be lucky if he’s ready by the end of May. Pedroia is still working through lingering knee issues, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play again at all.

As for Rodriguez, he is recovering from myocarditis, which was contracted as a result of COVID-19. Judging by his agent’s take and the pitcher’s latest Instagram, he expects to be ready for the start of next season.

Benintendi was shut down for the season in September with a rib injury. However, he was expected to have a normal offseason.

Hart landed on the IL in September with a hip impingement. He started on the 10-day IL, then was transferred to the 45-day. Brewer was on the injured list with a middle finger strain.