Red Sox Fan-Favorite Could Be Playing Himself Off Boston Roster

What are the Red Sox going to do?

Sep 6, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; An empty Fenway Park is seen during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have had an up-and-down start to the season so far.

The bats have been pretty much dead lately since the team's series last weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals. It happens, it's baseball. It's a little surprising that pretty much the entire lineup has gone cold at the same time, but they have too much talent and will be fine.

Another area of the club that has been inconsistent to begin the season is the bullpen. As of writing, the Red Sox's bullpen currently ranks 19th in the league in ERA at 4.11. That's not exactly what you want to have right now, but there is a big-name reinforcement working his way. Three-time All-Star Liam Hendriks is currently on a rehab assignment and should help the team soon.

One person who unfortunately could be impacted by this is flamethrower Zack Kelly. He made the team out of camp, but has a 6.14 ERA so far in five appearances. This is just speculation, but if things don't turn around, it seems like he could be in a tough spot.

FanSided's Katie Manganelli suggested this as well in a column in which they wrote about three players who may not make it with the roster through May.

"The Red Sox's bullpen has looked pretty stable in the first few weeks of the season, which is a welcome change from the second half of last year," Manganelli said. "The 'pen could get even better, though, as Liam Hendriks just began a rehab assignment with the WooSox. The Red Sox haven't announced a timeline for his return, but a roster move will be necessary to get Hendriks to the big leagues.

"Zack Kelly could be the easiest choice. He's allowed (five) runs on (eight) hits in 7 1/3 innings so far (6.14 ERA), and the rest of the Sox's bullpen has been solid with a 3.86 ERA over 53.2 innings. Kelly also has two minor league options left, so Boston could option him to Triple-A as a depth option in case other injuries arise."

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