For the Red Sox, so much has gone right lately in this current six-game winning streak–part of a nine-of-11 stretch and a wider 33-16 record since early June–that it’s easy to overlook the things that have gone wrong. But the team has had bum luck when it comes to getting pitchers back from injury, with the most recent case being Tanner Houck, who will need Tommy John surgery.
And then there’s Liam Hendriks, the three-time All-Star reliever the Red Sox signed in 2024 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, with an eye on making him a closer candidate in 2025. But Hendriks struggled in 14 games for Boston, pitching 13.2 innings with an 0-2 record and a 6.59 ERA before going to the injured list with a hernia that would not heal.
On Sunday, speaking to reporters, manager Alex Cora said that he did not know whether Hendriks would “make an impact” in 2025.
Red Sox Could Not Find Bullpen Spot
Hendriks, it turns out, disagreed and told reporters so much on Monday. He has had a contentious relationship with the team throughout this season, complaining in a May interview with the Globe that he did not know what his role was with the staff. Of course, his 6.59 ERA might have had something to do with trouble finding him a role.
But on Monday, according to MassLive, Hendriks shot back at Cora, saying he had not been told he would not be back in 2025:
“That was surprising. That kind of shook me a little bit. I was like, ‘OK, let me read this thing.’ That was frustrating. It was like, ‘Have they not told me anything that’s going on? Am I out of the loop? What’s going on?’ Everyone I’ve spoken to about this has said, ‘No, we’re pushing to get you back this year.’ You hear that and you’re like, ‘Are they just lying to my face to appease me?’ Which is not the case.”
Liam Hendriks Smoothed Things Out With Alex Cora
Hendriks said he does intend to pitch again, and that eventually, things got sorted with Cora.
“It was just a slip of the tongue, unfortunately. It was definitely not a good thing for me to hear. But we hashed it out and we’re all good,” he said.
“It’s way too early to say I won’t pitch this year. If everything goes well, I will definitely pitch this year as long we keep moving in that direction. I spoke to A.C. about it and it was just a slip of the tongue. He apologized and we’re moving on.”
Red Sox Need Communication
Still, it will be hard for Hendriks to find a role in this bullpen in the remaining two months of the season. He indicated that he is throwing more and is close to a return.
Hendriks said the Red Sox need to be better with communication.
“There’s a lot of people in this clubhouse I enjoy,” he said. “The team, the players have been fantastic. The coaching staff, for the most part, has been great. Everybody that works here has been incredible to me …
“Like every organization, there’s things you can work on, whether it be communication stuff like that. But I think they’re trending in the right direction. The more feedback you give and the more feedback you get, hopefully they take that into consideration.”
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