There has been a slew of big injuries throughout Major League Baseball in the first month of the 2021 season, but the Boston Red Sox have remained relatively healthy.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May underwent Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto broke his thumb and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich returned to the injured list this week for the second time this year.
The Red Sox (fortunately) only have had to deal with minor injuries, save for Chris Sale (who we knew would be out until at least the summer,) and Ryan Brasier. Rafael Devers did not play in Tuesday’s win over the Detroit Tigers with shoulder soreness, and Alex Verdugo won’t play Wednesday due to a minor back issue.
Alex Cora had a lot of praise for the Red Sox’s medical staff ahead of Game 2 against the Tigers at Fenway Park.
“Gotta give credit to our medical staff and strength and conditioning staff. They do an outstanding job,” Cora told reporters during his pregame press conference. “During the offseason that was something that was brought up, and they were on top of them. I think luck has to do with it, too. We have to be honest with the whole situation. But we’re very hands on with our players. As an organization we don’t mind guys to go into the training room. It’s about preventing injuries. We want you in there, we want you to do the work so we can prevent something bad happening. Instead of waiting for something to bad happen and then you get treatment. They’re on top of it. … I do believe our medical department is one of the best if not the best int the big leagues, and they’ve done an amaizng job keeping these guys healthy.”
Cora also noted the versatility of his team has helped it feel as if no one is missing from the lineup should someone need a night off for whatever reason.
The skipper also pointed to Devers being out Tuesday, noting he was well enough to play but there was no need to push him when the third baseman easily could have an extra day of rest.
“Raffy, he was OK to play yesterday, but why push him?,” Cora said.
First pitch is slated to begin at 7:10 p.m. ET.
