The Red Sox were dealt a tough blow over the weekend, but it could have been worse for Boston.
Adam Duvall fractured his wrist in the Red Sox's sweep-clinching road win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Duvall, who sustained the injury trying to make a diving catch at Comerica Park, recently went through a series of evaluations that determined he will not need surgery to repair the fracture.
Had the veteran outfielder needed to go under the knife to fix his wrist, the Red Sox likely would have had to wait even longer for his return to the lineup.
"According to a source, by avoiding surgery, there's a chance Duvall could be back in six to eight weeks," MLB.com's Ian Browne wrote in a column published Monday. "If a surgical procedure had been required, he could have been out for eight to 10 weeks, if not longer."
Boston on Monday placed Duvall on the 10-day injured list and filled his roster spot with Bobby Dalbec, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester. Dalbec is expected to see some time at shortstop, while Kiké Hernández, Rob Refsnyder and Raimel Tapia all are in line to bridge the gap in center field until Duvall returns.
The Red Sox on Monday dropped their first game following Duvall's injury, a 1-0 heartbreaker in Tampa Bay against the undefeated Rays. Boston will try to bounce back at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, and all of the action can be found on NESN+ beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.
