Liam Hendriks opens season on IL, again delaying reliever’s debut with the Boston Red Sox

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Liam Hendriks was placed on the 15-day injured list before Boston’s season opener Thursday at Texas because of elbow inflammation, again delaying the right-handed reliever’s debut with the Red Sox after being on their roster all of last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Hendriks said after Boston’s 5-2 win that he saw Dr. Keith Meister, the Rangers team physician who performed his surgery in August 2023 when Hendriks was still with the Chicago White Sox. The three-time All-Star said he got a shot for a “nervy thing” and won’t throw for 3-5 days, but there is nothing concerning about his right elbow.

“Nothing permanent, nothing structurally wrong or anything like that,” Hendriks said. “It’s just a little bit of soreness in there that was bugging me.”

The 36-year-old Australian pitcher said he had been dealing with the soreness through spring training, and was trying to pitch through it until his last throwing session.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before the game that Hendriks’ last session in spring wasn’t good.

“Velo was down and he didn’t bounce back. Obviously, when they were feeling the elbow, the area, he’s going to see Dr. Meister here,” Cora said. “It’s the smart thing to do. Velo was trending in the right direction until the last one, so we decided to put him on the IL. ... Hopefully, it’s something minor, get a shot or something.”

The pitcher agreed to a $10 million, two-year contract with the Red Sox in February 2024 that includes a mutual option for 2026. He was with the White Sox when he missed the start of the 2023 season while undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, then returned May 29 of that year for five relief appearances before the surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Hendriks said the doctor told him everything looked fine on the inside of the elbow where the surgery was, and that the tightness on the outside of his elbow that he was experiencing was somewhat common when returning from Tommy John surgery. Hendriks said there was no MRI needed during his visit with Meister.

After working to pitch for the Red Sox late last season, Hendriks felt tightness in his forearm in the last of his five minor league rehab appearances from Aug. 18 through Sept. 5. He had a 1.80 ERA in those games.

Hendriks is 33-34 with 116 saves and a 3.82 ERA in 476 big league games with Minnesota (2011-13), Kansas City (2014), Toronto (2014-15), Oakland (2016-20) and the White Sox (2021-23). He was AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 after returning from treatment for Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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