Red Sox' Mondesi to 60-Day IL, Out Until at Least Mid-May
It's a good news, bad news situation for the Boston Red Sox as Opening Day nears.
Bad news: Speedy infielder Aldaberto Mondesi is headed to the 60-day injured list, meaning he can't come back until at least mid-May. He's recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year with the Royals, but that's more time than he was originally expected to miss.
Good news: Players on the 60-day IL are moved off the 40-man roster, so the Red Sox have an easy way to get Raimel Tapia on the roster. He's making the club out of spring training and the Sox now have an easy way to get him there. They haven't officially use this as the corresponding move, but it's fairly obvious to see.
Let's start with Tapia, who earned the Red Sox fourth OF spot after an impressive spring in which he hit .326. He also slugged two home runs, stole five bases and posed a .988 OPS.
He was signed to a minor-league deal this offseason after spending last year with the Blue Jays and the previous six with the Rockies. He's expected to be the fourth OF and can also play CF in place of Adam Duvall, given the matchups that manager Alex Cora wants to exploit.
Mondesi, 27, was acquired in a deal this offseason from the Royals for reliever Josh Taylor. He's shown great promise in his career but has dealt with a slew of injuries over the last two years. He's seen as an elite defender and an elite stolen base threat. He led the league in steals during the COVID-shortened 2020 season (24) but played just 35 games in 2021 and played just 15 last year before tearing his ACL.
If and when he makes it back to the Major Leagues, he figures to be a depth option for the Sox at both SS and 2B, where the team currently has Kiké Hernández and Christian Arroyo, respectively.
The Red Sox open the season Thursday at 2:10 against the Orioles.
