Veteran Red Sox reliever heading back to IL
The Boston Red Sox are placing veteran relief pitcher Liam Hendriks on the IL due to hernias. It’s the second IL stint of the year for him.
May 21, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (31) pitches against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesComing out of an off day on Thursday, the Boston Red Sox bullpen will see a shakeup on Friday. According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the team is placing Liam Hendriks on the Injured List.
Cotillo later noted that Hendriks is dealing with multiple hernias, which have been an issue since "around May 8," which was Hendriks' first and only multi-inning appearance of the year (he threw two innings against the Rangers). The report adds that Hendriks had been pitching through them in recent weeks, "but it got to a point where an IL stint was most logical."
This will be Hendriks' second time on the IL this year. He began the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, which had held him out for the entire 2024 season.
In between, Hendriks has appeared in 14 games for the Red Sox this year. He has a 6.59 ERA in 13.2 innings, but eight of his 11 earned runs this year occurred in an 11 day span that included five appearances between May 16 and 27. Over his first nine appearances he had a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings.
Last week, Hendriks' spoke publicly in an interview about how he was unhappy with his role in the Red Sox bullpen. "No rhyme or reason. I have no idea,” Hendriks said of his usage in a conversation with The Boston Globe. “It’s actually a source of contention that I’ve had with [the team] and I’ve had multiple conversations about.
Paul Rutherford/Getty ImagesTaking Hendriks' place on the roster will be 32-year-old righty Nick Burdi. A six-year MLB vet, Burdi signed with the Red Sox on a minor league contract this offseason. This is Burdi's second call-up this year - he threw two scoreless appearances for the Sox back in mid-May against the Atlanta Braves, who the Red Sox also happen to be playing this weekend.
Burdi has also been excellent in Worcester this year. In 15 appearances he's 4-0 with a 0.48 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched.
The good news for the Red Sox is that after taxing their bullpen quite a bit during this week's series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the day off on Thursday should help reset things. Lucas Giolito will get the start in Atlanta against the Braves to begin the series on Friday night.
