News and notes from around Red Sox Nation.
What, you didn’t think we were done talking about pitcher injuries, did you? This is baseball in 2024: the game isn’t won on the field, it’s won on the orthopedic surgeon’s table. The latest arm to fall is that of Brennan Bernardino, who will go on the IL and likely be shut down for the year with dreaded elbow inflammation. Cam Booser will make the drive from Wormtown to take his place. (Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald)
Unfortunately, Liam Hendriks won’t be around to help shore up the bullpen. The righty experienced some tightness in his elbow as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. It is now unlikely that he’ll pitch in the big leagues this season. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
That’s the real beauty of Nick Pivetta, isn’t it? You may not know what he’s going to give you on the mound from one game to the next, but you damn well know that he’s going to be on the mound. And, as he showed again last night, he’s consistently been a big game pitcher for the Red Sox. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Though they’re both Canadian, Tyler O’Neill is very much the opposite of Pivetta when it comes to health and reliability. But, like Pivetta, he’s also turning it on down the stretch. After belting last night’s walk-off homer over the monster (hey!), he’s now popped eight of his last fourteen hits out of the yard. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Unfortunately, Triston Casas has not turned it on down the stretch, as he struggles to regain his hitting stroke after a lengthy injury to his rib cage. But Triston says that, like a butterfly, he’s ready to enter the next stage of his hitting life (really). (Greg Dudek, NESN)
James Paxton, though, will enter the next stage of his actual life. He’s announced his retirement. (Jon Couture, Boston Globe)