We now know why Ryan Brasier hasn't entered any spring training games in relief for the Boston Red Sox yet this year.
The right-handed pitcher has been rehabbing from a fractured bone in his pinky finger, and it's not looking like he'll be ready for Opening Day on April 1.
While speaking with WEEI's Rob Bradford on Tuesday, Brasier revealed he was doing an offseason shoulder workout when he hit his hand on the corner of a wall, breaking the fifth metacarpal bone on his throwing hand.
“Obviously, I was freaked out,” Brasier said, via Bradford. “I saw a doctor at home that afternoon and he told me it was broken and I couldn’t get in to see any hand specialists for a couple of days because of Thanksgiving. The biggest relief was when they told me I didn’t have to have surgery. All I had to do was wear a splint for a few weeks, tape it and work through some of the early pain of throwing. But I feel good now.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team is in no hurry to rush the reliever back for the beginning of the regular season.
“It wasn’t something that needed surgery but obviously needed time,” Cora said, via The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham.
“He’s very important for us, and we don’t want to push him. I know he wants to do it,” Cora said. “We appreciate that, but at the same time we have to be very smart with him because he’s a very important part of our bullpen.”
Brasier has made 121 appearances for the Red Sox since 2018.
