Red Sox veteran reliever returns from the IL, tosses clean inning in loss to Royals
The Red Sox opted to not send veteran reliever Chris Martin to either Triple-A Worcester or Double-A Portland for a rehab stint. Instead, Martin was activated prior to the series finale in Kansas City, and he made an appearance, disposing the Royals in order.
Martin was summoned by skipper Alex Cora to pitch the eighth inning, and he was dominant. The 38-year-old tossed a clean inning, giving up no hits or walks while striking out the side in order. He tossed 15 pitches in the outing, 10 of them for strikes.
It was Martin’s first appearance since July 3, when he tossed an inning, giving up one hit and striking out one against the Marlins in Miami.
Martin has been limited to just 26 innings (26 1/3 innings) this season, dealing with various health issues. A barking left-shoulder injury limited the righty early on this season, and he also saw time on the injured list dealing with anxiety-related symptoms from June 2–18.
With Martin feeling healthy again, the Red Sox will add him to a revamped bullpen, which includes new relievers Lucas Sims and Luis García, Zack Kelly, Brennan Bernardino, and closer Kenley Jansen.
Martin has a 3.29 ERA so far this season while allowing 25 hits (4 homers) and striking out 32 batters.
To make room on the 26-man roster for Martin, the Red Sox optioned left-handed hurler Cam Booser to Triple-A Worcester. Booser has had a solid rookie campaign, posting a 2.77 ERA while striking out 38 batters in 39 innings in Boston. Since he rejoined the Red Sox on July 5 after a stint with the WooSox, Booser has owned a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings over 12 appearances.
“Boos is going to be part of this. They’re all going to be part of this. But Chris is ready to go today,” Cora said before the Red Sox’ 8-4 series finale loss to the Royals on Wednesday night.
Boston will have an additional bullpen roster shuffle coming up soon, with rehabbing relievers Justin Slaten and Liam Hendriks inching close to a return.
Hendriks threw his first live batting practice since his Tommy John surgery. The righty threw 16 pitches, facing Danny Jansen and Nick Sogard, according to the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams.
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“It felt all right,” said Hendriks to reporters following his batting practice session. “I felt like the ball was coming out all right. But it feels like, right now, I have to put more effort into getting where I need to be.
“It’s something I deal with every spring training where you kind of forget how deep you can dig. Whereas once you get in the middle of season, it’s kind of a little easier to do that. Whereas, right now, I have to remind myself subconsciously how deep I can dig into it.”
