Mickey Gasper is almost certainly not going to be available for the Wild Card Series, and he’s just the tip of a massive injury iceberg the Red Sox are dragging into New York for their three-game series starting Tuesday at 8. It’s a brutal reality check, with a utility man who crushes righties, a bullpen lock, a speedy outfielder, a late-inning reliever, a power bat, and a middle infielder all either out or in serious doubt. Damn, these guys are hurt.
The Injury Ward Just Keeps Growing
The list of walking wounded is staggering. Gasper is dealing with a significant biceps injury from Friday’s doubleheader, taking a quality bat out of the lineup. Tyron Guerrero, one of those four bullpen locks the team was banking on for October, is banged up and might not pitch again until next year. Eli White’s foot injury is flat-out season-ending, after he had Lisfranc surgery last week. Justin Slaten is out, and we’ve known Masataka Yoshida is out for a while. Then there’s Curtis Mead, who’s still down in Fort Myers, with nobody seeming to know what his actual status is. He’s not even making the trip to New York. Johan Oviedo is staying home too. It’s a brutal blow to depth and late-game options, no question.
But Wait, There’s Some Hope on the Mound and In the Lineup
Amidst all the bad news, there are glimmers of hope. Left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet is making progress in his comeback from left shoulder inflammation, throwing a live BP this weekend and actually traveling with the team to New York. Willson Contreras DHed in the finale after a hand injury that had everyone holding their breath, showing he’s healthy enough to swing the bat, even if he’s not fully 100%. Ceddanne Rafaela also made it back into the lineup for the Cubs series. And in Game 162, Tanner Houck made his return to the mound. These returns are massive, providing some much-needed reinforcements as the team heads into a crucial set of games.
The Pitching Staff Is Ready to Throw Down
Here’s where the Red Sox can really make some noise, even with all the injuries. Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez are all healthy and available to start, and Chad Tracy claims their sequencing against Cleveland didn’t give anything away. That’s more than a lot of teams can say about their top three arms. Out of the bullpen, Brayan Bello and Jake Bennett are genuine multi-inning options, which is huge. Bennett’s numbers against the Yankees this year? A ridiculous 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA and 10 Ks. He’ll be pitching out of the pen against them, and you can’t ignore that kind of dominance. Crochet could also end up pitching those bulk innings, setting up the back-end weapons in Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Chapman locked down a 1-0 win against the Guardians with three Ks and a save on the 23rd, but the big question is whether a full week off means he’ll be at his usual, unhittable level when he steps onto that New York mound. No one knows until the first pitch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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