McAdam: It's time for the Red Sox to cut their losses with Tyler Thornburg

In the big picture, the fact that Tyler Thornburg allowed two runs in the sixth inning probably didn't impact the outcome in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays had a healthy lead already, and the Red Sox had already squandered numerous opportunities in the early innings against starter Marcus Stroman. It was one of those nights.

But if Thornburg's appearance for the Red Sox at SkyDome wasn't his last in a Red Sox uniform, it should be.



Entering a game in which the Red Sox were already trailing, Thornburg, pitching for just the second time in the last 11 days, was enlisted to throw strikes and save the rest of the Boston bullpen. It's the role of the low-leverage reliever -- to take one for the team in games in which his team is either comfortably ahead or hopelessly behind.

Instead, Thornburg immediately issued two walks. Then came two run-scoring singles, pushing the Toronto lead to 8-1. Thornburg fanned two hitters, then hit a batter to load the bases before getting a called third strike against Rowdy Tellez.

The outing was the sixth time in Thornburg's last seven appearances in which he's allowed at least one run and ninth in his last 11 in which he's been scored upon.

By the end of the inning, Thornburg's ERA for the season stood at 7.71. He's pitched just 18.2 innings this season, not enough to qualify among all pitchers, but if he were, he would be dead last among all major league pitchers.

In his 18.2 innings this season, Thornburg has allowed 21 hits and 10 walks. He's allowed 16 earned runs. His WHIP is a bloated 1.69.

Even in situations -- like the one Tuesday night -- in which Thornburg is just trying to throw the ball over the plate and get quick outs in lopsided games, the results are painful.

His velocity is fine -- his fastball frequently hit 95 mph -- but because he has no command of his secondary stuff, opposing hitters lay off those offerings and wait for his fastball, which they then treat like something offered up in batting practice.

The hope was that this season would be different for Thornburg, that after a full winter of normal recovery, he would again be the standout reliever he was for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016, the one that enticed the Red Sox to deal for him in December of that year.

He missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury, undergoing thoracic outlet surgery. He missed the first half of 2018, too, and when he returned, predictably, he was far from 100 percent. The Red Sox shut him down in early September to give him a head start on rest and recovery for the offseason.

Thornburg exuded optimism over the winter, noting that all the tests revealed his shoulder to again be as strong as it was before he was injured. When he was hit hard in Grapefruit League action, it was said that he was still fine-tuning his mechanics.

Twice in spring training, the Red Sox had chances to buy him out of his non-guaranteed deal and pay him either one-quarter or one-sixth of his $1.75 million salary. Both times, they passed, maintaining that Thornburg was heading in the right direction and could be of use to the 2019 Sox.

That has not proven to be the case, sadly. While pitchers almost automatically recover from Tommy John surgery, the same cannot be said for those who undergo thoracic outlet surgery. Ask Matt Harvey, who went from ace to journeyman in the span of a few years.

And so, Thornburg sits, mostly unused in the Red Sox bullpen, going days without so much as warming up. It's clear that he's not trusted in high-leverage spots, and as the numbers indicated, he's not capable of performing in low-leverage spots, either.

In a perfect world, Thornburg could have given the Sox two competitive innings, and maybe even three, to get them through Tuesday night without having to get anybody else hot. Instead, he threw 40 (!) pitches to get three outs in the sixth, making it necessary for Colten Brewer to instead throw two innings of his own to close things out.

Perhaps Thornburg is still here because Dave Dombrowski, who traded for him, wants to have something to show for a deal in which Travis Shaw and three prospects were sent to the Brewers. But it's long past face-saving time for Dombrowski. Some trades don't work out; this is obviously one of them.

Thornburg has no trade value, of course, and releasing him will cost the Red Sox about $1.2 million. They missed their chance to write off three-quarters of his money when they didn't buy him out in spring training. In the long run, even as the Red Sox carefully watch their payroll so as to stay under the third and final luxury tax threshold, the $1.2 million isn't going to make much of a difference. It's already sunken money.

Surely, there must be someone in Pawtucket who could better utilize that spot. Perhaps Thornburg's release will have to wait until Brian Johnson, currently serving out a rehab assignment in the minors, is activated.

But either way, it should be soon. Perhaps Thornburg can find himself with another organization. But there's little point in continuing to run him out there in a Red Sox uniform, even if it's only in games that are already decided.