Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Hendriks (elbow) should be "fully healthy" to begin the 2025 season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Breslow also cited Hendriks' "impressive track record at closing games," which suggests the door is open for the right-hander to win the closer's job. He didn't pitch in a competitive game during the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The identity of Boston's closer was thrown into uncertainty after the team agreed to terms last week with Aroldis Chapman on a deal that becomes official once Chapman passes a physical.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Unlikely to pitch this season
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Manager Alex Cora said Friday that Hendriks (elbow) is likely to be shut down for the rest of the regular season, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Hendriks has been on the shelf all season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed last August. He began a rehab assignment in mid-August, and it looked like the 35-year-old reliever was poised to join the Red Sox bullpen in early September until he suffered a setback. There was still some hope that he would be able to return after receiving a cortisone injection in his right elbow Monday, but Cora relayed Friday that Hendriks hasn't played catch since getting the shot. With just nine games left in the regular season, it appears the veteran reliever will have to wait until 2025 to make his debut in a Red Sox uniform.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: May not be shut down after all
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Hendriks said Friday that he will receive a cortisone injection in his right elbow Monday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Hendriks added that an MRI revealed fluid sacs near his right elbow, which could be taken care of with a cortisone shot, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Hendriks is hoping to join the Boston bullpen for the last week or two of the regular season, but that will largely depend on the Red Sox staying in the AL wild-card race. He's in the final stretch of his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in August of 2023.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Likely to be shut down
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Hendriks (elbow) will likely be shut down from throwing for the remainder of the season, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
An MRI on Hendriks' elbow came back negative after he suffered a minor setback in his recovery last week, but it appears the 35-year-old reliever will not pitch in the majors this season. He threw five scoreless innings across six appearances between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester during his rehab assignment and will now presumably shift his focus to getting ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Suffers minor setback
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Hendriks (elbow) had a minor setback in his rehab this week but said Friday that he remains convinced he will return this season, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
The setback prevented Hendriks from making rehab appearances on back-to-back days this week, as had been previously planned. Hendriks also said that while he expects to be effective upon his return, he thinks his stuff will fully bounce back to pre-surgery levels in 2025, when he will be under contract with Boston for one more season.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Could return as soon as Saturday
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Hendriks (elbow) will make back-to-back appearances with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and Thursday and could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as Saturday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Hendriks has allowed just one unearned run over his first four rehab innings, but he averaged just 92.8 mph with his fastball and 83.8 mph with his slider in his last appearance. Both numbers are significant dips from last season and down considerably from Hendriks' peak velocities in past years. That's not terribly surprising given his long layoff after elbow surgery, but the Red Sox might be anxious to put him into high-leverage spots until he rediscovers some velocity.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Makes fourth rehab appearance
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Hendriks (elbow) walked one and struck out one over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.
The organization appears to be setting up Hendriks for late-inning work once he's ready for activation. His first three rehab outings came in the fifth and sixth innings, while Wednesday's was in the eighth for the WooSox. He'll pitch again Friday and is trending toward a return in the first or second week of September.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Fans two in rehab outing
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Hendriks (elbow) allowed one unearned run on one hit and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning for Double-A Portland on Sunday.
Hendriks made the third appearance of his rehab assignment, throwing 19 pitches (13 for strikes). The pitcher is expected to make another three to five appearances in the minors before he's evaluated for activation.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Third rehab outing on tap
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Hendriks (elbow) will make a third rehab appearance Sunday at Double-A Portland, MLB.com reports.
Hendriks opened his rehab assignment a week ago at Triple-A Worcester with an impressive 1-2-3 outing on 12 pitches (10 strikes) , then had less successful results four days later at Portland (one-third of an inning, one walk, one hit). The report estimates Hendriks could make between six to eight relief appearances while on assignment before being activated.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Impressive rehab outing
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Hendriks (elbow) pitched a prefect fifth inning for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
Hendriks, making the first appearance of a rehab assignment, needed 12 pitches (10 strikes) to dispatch the side in order on a flyout and two groundouts. He threw seven four-seam fastballs (topping out at 95.6 miles per hour), one curveball and one slider, per Baseball Savant. Hendriks is confident he'll return from the 60-day injured list and pitch in the majors later this season, and he could be a helpful piece out of the bullpen as the Red Sox attempt to make the postseason.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Beginning assignment Sunday
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Hendriks (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Hendriks has spent the entire season on the injured list working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and he's now been cleared to return to a competitive setting after throwing several rounds of live batting practice. Manager Alex Cora said the goal will be for the 35-year-old reliever to throw seven innings in the minors before returning from the IL, so he's likely a couple weeks away from being activated.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Could start rehab assignment soon
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Hendriks (elbow) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Hendriks got through his third live batting practice session Wednesday, tossing 24 pitches while flashing a fastball that sat around 93-to-94 miles per hour, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, With Hendriks coming out of the live BP session feeling good about his health, he estimated that he'll require about 6-to-8 appearances during his rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list. Hendriks is coming back from Tommy John surgery, which he had last August.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Tossing another live BP
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Hendriks (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday and the Red Sox will discuss next steps following the session, with a rehab assignment the likeliest outcome, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Manager Alex Cora didn't commit to sending Hendriks on a minor-league rehab assignment but indicated that it will probably be the next step in Hendriks' recovery from Tommy John surgery. Hendriks hasn't pitched in a game since June 10, 2023 and will likely need several appearances in the minors before being activated.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Cleared to face hitters
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Hendriks (elbow) was cleared to face live hitters Saturday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
After spending the past month throwing two bullpen sessions every week, Hendriks has finally received the green light to throw live batting practice. The plan is for him to throw his first session of live BP on Tuesday at Triple-A Worcester. Once he completes two additional sessions, the Red Sox will likely send him out on a rehab assignment.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Hopes for clearance to face hitters
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Hendriks (elbow) is headed to Texas to meet with his surgeon and hopes to be cleared to face hitters, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Hendriks has been throwing two bullpen sessions per week over the last month as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. In his most recent session Tuesday, he threw 35 pitches and used his full repertoire. There's no clear timetable for Hendriks' return to the active roster yet, but he wouldn't appear too far off from a rehab assignment if things continue trending in a positive direction.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Completes bullpen session
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Hendricks (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Friday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Hendricks has been ramping up in July, but he has yet to mix in his full array of pitches during a bullpen session. Still, it's an encouraging sign for the 35-year-old in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Hendricks could advance to facing live hitters soon before beginning a rehab assignment.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Throws another bullpen
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Hendriks (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday at Fenway Park, Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe reports.
Hendriks has thrown a number of bullpen sessions without any setbacks; however, he's still limited to throwing exclusively fastballs. The Red Sox haven't offered an estimated return timetable as the right-hander continues to work his way back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last August. Boston manager Alex Cora referred to it as the beginning of a long process. Hendriks needs to incorporate all of his offerings before facing live batters and heading out on a rehab assignment.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Throws another bullpen session
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Hendriks (elbow) threw another bullpen session Sunday and is expected to ramp up his activity during the upcoming week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Hendriks finished his three throwing sessions of the week in New York on Sunday, and he'll now progress toward the next step in his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last August. The right-hander remains without an expected timetable to return, but his ability to complete the bullpen sessions without any sort of setbacks is a positive outcome nonetheless.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Bullpen set for Wednesday
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Hendriks (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday at loanDepot park in Miami, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Wednesday's bullpen will be the first of three scheduled sessions for Hendriks, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will throw again Friday and Sunday while the Red Sox are in New York for a series against the Yankees. Hendriks said Wednesday's session is about throwing pitches, while the weekend work is more about mechanics. He's essentially recovered from the surgery and is now building up arm strength.
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Red Sox's Liam Hendriks: Throws 20 pitches in bullpen Friday
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Hendriks (elbow) threw a second bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
All 20 of Hendriks' pitches Friday were fastballs, and the right-hander noted Saturday that three more bullpen sessions are planned next week. The 35-year-old is working his way back from Tommy John surgery last August, and he is aiming to return to the majors before the end of the regular season. In his last full season in 2022 as a member of the White Sox, Hendriks registered a 2.81 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 85:16 K:BB across 57.2 innings.
