Red Sox southpaw will be sidelined ‘for a while;' team not expecting surgery as an option
The Red Sox received some good news surrounding left-handed pitcher Zach Penrod on Saturday.
Penrod’s MRI revealed no structural damage, and he’s not expected to undergo Tommy John surgery or any other procedure on his throwing elbow, said manager Alex Cora on Saturday afternoon. The tests indicated that his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is intact.
“He’s gonna be out for a while,” Cora said to reporters. “Nothing structural. Elbow inflammation, so we’ll shut him down for now. We’re not talking surgery but rehab, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Initially the level of concern for Penrod was “pretty high” earlier in the week. The lefty began to feel soreness in his elbow this past week, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Penrod was expected to be part of the mix to compete for a spot in the Red Sox bullpen out of camp. Boston already has fellow southpaws in Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, and Brennan Bernardino vying for roles in the bullpen.
The Idaho native made his Major League debut last summer, remains on the 40-man roster, but it’s expected he will land on the injured list once the club officially announces the signing of Matt Moore.
Boston signed the left-handed hurler to a minor league deal this week, anticipating Penrod’s injury to keep him out of action for a while.
Moore, 35, struggled last season with the Angels after signing a one-year, $9 million deal. He posted a 5.03 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 41 strikeouts, and 26 walks in 51 relief outings (48 1/3 frames).
The southpaw owns a career 4.39 ERA in 369 outings, including 164 starts. He has a 3.64 ERA in 205 relief outings over his career. If Moore makes the Red Sox Opening Day roster, this will be the ninth team he will have played for during his big league career.
