How Alex Cora Felt After Liam Hendriks Threw Live Batting Practice

BOSTON -- Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks still hasn't debuted with the team since signing a two-year deal in free agency back in February, but the right-hander took his next step toward a return on Wednesday afternoon.

Hendriks, who underwent Tommy John surgery as a member of the Chicago White Sox last August, took the mound at Fenway Park to throw a live batting practice session. The 35-year-old performed simulated at-bats against right-handed hitter Romy González and switch hitter Mickey Gasper -- who hit from the left side of the plate. Both González and Gasper made relatively solid contact at times, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora was still pleased with what he saw from Hendriks.

"(We'll) see how he feels tomorrow, we'll meet," Cora said after Hendriks tossed 24 pitches. "He ain't going on the road trip. Probably talk about it before the game starts (against the Rangers). Won't be surprised if he goes on a rehab assignment over the weekend."

Boston could certainly use Hendriks, but the club doesn't intend to take any unnecessary measures to speed up the recovery process. Before the MLB trade deadline on July 30, the Red Sox acquired relief pitching assistance by adding right-handers Lucas Sims and Luis García. However, that hasn't expunged the team's ongoing bullpen woes yet, and with a tight American League wild card race cornering the Red Sox, there isn't much time left on the clock before the postseason bracket is officially set for October.

Still, the possibility of Hendriks overcoming the odds of missing out on the entirety of 2024 remains in play with 44 games left in Boston's regular season -- including Wednesday night's finale with Texas.

"He threw 93-94 (MPH)," Cora said. "The slider was good actually, against lefties. Today, he got hit around a little bit but it's encouraging. It's a good fastball. It's a different fastball from what we have in the bullpen. I'm not saying he's gonna be a guy that will come here and be the savior of the bullpen, but he will contribute. It's happened and he will contribute. ... I still remember the Zoom meeting with him and his wife, and the way they talked I was like, 'Wow, they really think this (return will come sooner than expected).'"