The Boston Red Sox have a limited number of left-handed pitchers available in their bullpen.
Furthermore, the Red Sox may face the absence of one of these options due to concerning injury updates regarding pitcher Chris Murphy, who was vying for a spot on the roster.
Murphy will be sidelined and is scheduled to undergo an elbow MRI in Fort Myers, Florida, on Monday.
“His elbow area hasn’t been recovering well from the last injury,” stated Red Sox manager Alex Cora to reporters on Monday at JetBlue Park, as reported by MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “So we’ll need to assess the situation. Naturally, there’s concern, but we’ll likely have more information tomorrow morning.”
Murphy displayed glimpses of his potential during his initial stint in the majors last season. When called up by the Red Sox in June, the 25-year-old made an impressive start. Taking on the role of a multi-inning reliever, Murphy conceded just five earned runs across his first 28 1/3 innings of play.
However, Murphy encountered challenges later in the season. By the end of the season, he had made 20 appearances out of the bullpen, accumulating a 4.91 ERA along with one save and 49 strikeouts over 47 2/3 innings.
The sixth-round selection from 2019 was competing for a comparable position this season. He participated in five spring games, with his most recent outing against the Philadelphia Phillies last Thursday. Murphy delivered an impressive performance, recording five strikeouts and conceding no runs on one hit and one walk over 2 1/3 innings.
However, following that game, the injury concern emerged.
“He wasn’t able to recover fully,” Cora stated, according to Smith. “He expressed some concerns about his elbow, which is also concerning for us. We’ll need to evaluate it.”
With Murphy’s status uncertain, the Red Sox face a shortage of left-handed options in the bullpen. Brennan Bernardino, who found success with Boston after being released by the Seattle Mariners last season, is likely to secure a roster spot. Additionally, Joely Rodríguez and Lucas Luetge are available alternatives.
