Red Sox 3-Time All-Star Issues Encouraging Injury Update After Missing Opening Day

How soon can this righty get back to the mound?

Aug 6, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks (31) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's bullpen was in excellent form on Thursday, and they didn't even have one of their most important arms. Though, in fairness, that was the case for the entire 2024 season.

Hopes were high for three-time All-Star Liam Hendriks to make an impact for the Red Sox in 2025 after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. But the righty struggled throughout the spring, and apparently, there was more to it than just the long layoff.

Hours before the season opener, Hendriks was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. He'd entered the spring hoping to nail down the closer role in Boston, and instead wouldn't be available to pitch at all in the team's first two weeks of the season.

It was undoubtedly concerning, given the fact that his velocity dipped as spring training progressed. However, Hendriks reported Thursday evening that he received a cortisone shot, and wasn't expecting a long recovery time before he could finally make his long-awaited Red Sox debut.

“I had a nervy thing going on in there,” Hendriks said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “It was a compressed nerve kind of thing that had been building. I’ve had it for a while. I tried pitching through it, tried grinding through it, and it just wasn't getting any better.

“It’s something that I've been battling throughout spring. My mindset is trying to pitch through things usually, and throw through it, and it'll get better eventually, but it just hasn't worked out so far. Got a shot today and ‘no throw’ for three to five days. And it shouldn't be a long layoff at all.”

Hendriks, 36, has been a fan favorite wherever he's pitched, and it's obvious he hopes to continue that trend in Boston. The AL Reliever of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Hendriks had a fantastic peak, but he's only pitched in four big-league games since the start of 2023.

Ideally, shutting things down for a few days will not only help Hendriks recover, but restore his stuff to where it needs to be to dice up opposing hitters. The Boston bullpen was one of the biggest question marks this team had coming into the season, so becoming whole again soon would be a plus.

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