Red Sox SP Rodriguez (knee) without timetable
Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off a rookie season where he went 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA (112 ERA+) and showed flashes of his immense potential. He was slated to be in the rotation all season in 2016, but he has a knee injury. The Red Sox still don’t know when he’ll be back.
As for when he might even start throwing bullpen sessions, here is what manager John Farrell had to say (WEEI.com):
“I don’t want to put an exact number of days on it, but what we can’t do is skip steps along the way. He’s got too much talent, too bright of a future, and we want to take every necessary step, as we would with every other pitcher here in camp.”
The season isn’t too far away, so where will the Red Sox turn for a fifth starter if Rodriguez opens the season on the DL?
WEEI.com names four candidates: Steven Wright, Henry Owens, Roenis Elias and Brian Johnson.
Wright is a knuckleballer with 11 career starts, in which he has gone 3-5 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He’s out of options but seems better suited for long relief.
Owens is only 23 and a talented former sandwich-round (between first and second) draft pick. In 11 starts last season, he was 4-4 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Walks and homers were an issue, and he could probably use some more seasoning in Triple-A.
Johnson, a 24-year-old lefty, had a 2.53 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 96 Triple-A innings last season. He had one bad start in the majors, but it was his MLB debut and came against a good Astros team.
Elias, 27, came over from Seattle in a trade this past offseason. In 49 career starts, he has a 3.99 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He’s easily the most experienced option here, though he doesn’t quite have the upside of Owens or Johnson.
Here’s how the four have fared this spring, heading into Saturday:
Wright: 2.57 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 2 K, 2 BB, 7 IP
Owens: 0.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 6 K, 3 BB, 5 IP
Johnson: 5.79 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4 K, 1 BB, 4 2/3 IP
Elias: 0.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, 2 K, 1 BB, 2 IP
Owens coughed up four runs in 2 2/3 innings on Saturday, upping his ERA to 4.70. He struck out three but walked four.
Will Eduardo Rodriguez miss the start of the season? (USATSI)
