The Boston Red Sox have placed closer Craig Kimbrel on the 15-day disabled list with an injured left knee that will likely sideline him for three to six weeks.
Advertisement
Kimbrel was ruled out Friday due to knee soreness, per the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Kimbrel, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres this past offseason, has a torn meniscus and torn cartilage in his left knee. However, he has maintained his typically stellar strikeout rate (13.6 K/9) to go with his 4.1 BB/9 rate.
Because of the injury, Kimbrel will miss next week’s All-Star Game.
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, right, watches his solo homer in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Hank Conger in the fourth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Boston. He really only became a full-time closer last season with the Diamondbacks, collecting 30 saves in the process. Zielger doesn’t strike many batters out, but he has nonetheless posted a 2.49 ERA (164 ERA+) over eight-plus major league seasons split between both leagues.
For Kimbrel, it has been an up and down season, and his numbers do not reflect an All-Star. Fellow set-up guy Junichi Tazawa is dealing with a sore shoulder. Also, offseason acquisition Carson Smith was recently lost to Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of this season and some of 2017.
Red Sox starter Sean O’Sullivan had won in each of his previous three starts, but he allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. “Obviously it’s nice to put one off the Monster, but at the same time, we don’t want to be too pull-happy and make ourselves vulnerable to other pitches”. The Red Sox traded Minor League pitcher Jose Almonte and middle infielder Luis Alejandro Basabe to the Arizona Diamondbacks for relief pitcher Brad Ziegler. If Uehara is not up to the task, expect Ziegler to slide into the role. However, it’s not necessarily the end of his time with Arizona, since in all likelihood, he’ll hit the open market again this winter, and who knows? It’s going to be tough to go.
Farrell said it was part of Kimbrel’s cardiovascular work.
Kimbrel has 17 saves in 19 chances with a 3.55 ERA and was named to the American League All-Star.
And now, by adding the former closer Ziegler, the Sox have added a much needed arm to the bullpen.
Lacking reliable starting pitching depth within the organization, the Red Sox would also like to acquire a starting pitcher – or two.
The Sox believe they improved their bench in the trade with Cleveland for utility-man Michael Martinez on Friday for cash considerations. All told, he had appeared in 348 games since being traded from the Oakland Athletics in a deadline deal during the 2011 season.
Advertisement
“We’ve been trying. It’s just, they were ready to do it today”, Dombrowski said to WEEI.
