Well, we sort of knew this was coming, but today we got (mostly) official word. According to John Farrell, via Brian MacPherson, Red Sox starter David Price will almost certainly miss the start of the season as he continues to progress from his elbow injury. While it’s true that the Red Sox got the best news they could’ve hoped for when Price went to see Dr. James Andrews earlier this month, it’s also true that mostly knew they weren’t completely out of the woods.
The good news is that Price has started throwing again, and he’s commented that he’s feeling much better than he was at the time of the injury. There will always be the fear of this creeping back up later this summer and resulting in the Tommy John we were all so scared of at his initial visit. With that in mind, any time we can hear that he is feeling well is undoubtedly a positive.
As for how this affects the Red Sox, it’s hard to say at this junction. Right now, their other five starting pitchers are healthy, meaning they won’t have to dip into their depth without another injury. However, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz have made just one start each after a slow start to camp, and the latter’s was not very encouraging.
If there is another injury, we’re likely looking at a stint from Kyle Kendrick, a stint that’s length will depend on how long Price is out. It’s not a typical April schedule for the Red Sox this year. Most Aprils are filled with off-days, meaning they can go with four starters for a few runs through the rotation. That’s not the case in 2017, as they have just three off-days in the opening month, one of which is the day following Opening Day. They’ll need their fifth starter for the majority of the month.
Hopefully, this is just a matter of Price getting his work in for the start of the season and he won’t miss more than a couple turns through the rotation. We’ll keep an eye on the situation and keep you updated if/when more information comes out.