In the first week of spring training, Chaim Bloom met with the media and made a startling announcement: Chris Sale had suffered a rib fracture during a bullpen session and would be sidelined for several months.
The news was crushing for the Red Sox. Just as it appeared Sale would be healthy and available for Opening Day for the first time since 2019, Sale was in for a lengthy IL stay.
Since then, however, the Red Sox have been relatively healthy. Apart from a few COVID scares and actual positive cases, the team didn't need to use the IL for a player on its major league roster until starter Michael Wacha was lost for 12 days with an intercostal strain in mid-May. Following that were a couple of additional short-term injuries to pitchers -- Matt Barnes (shoulder inflammation) and Hansel Robles (back).
The losses weren't impactful. Wacha is back and pitched a complete game in his most recent start. Robles was activated Thursday and contributed a scoreless inning. Barnes is due to come off the IL when the Sox return home.
But in recent days, the IL has gotten a real workout. First, Kike Hernandez was placed on there with a right hip flexor strain, and a few days after that diagnosis, the Sox were concerned enough to send Hernandez from southern California to New York to consult with a specialist.
Then, Friday, the Sox announced that Garrett Whitlock was going on the IL with right hip inflammation. Whitlock wasn't himself in Tuesday's start, and at one point, could be seen noticeably limping off the mound. (These moves don't take into account that Nathan Eovaldi is also dealing with a sore hip, reducing his velocity by 3-4 mph in his Wednesday start).
And just like that, the Red Sox are being hamstrung by injuries. For the time being Rob Refsnyder is the replacement on the roster for Hernandez, and sometime next week, the Sox will need a replacement in the rotation in their rotation Tuesday when Whitlock's turn comes around.
The Sox are fortunate in this regard: they have sufficient pitching depth to withstand Whitlock's loss, at least for a bit. The Worcester rotation includes Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford, Brandon Walter and Brayan Bello -- any one of whom could be tabbed to take Whitlock's spot. (It's doubtful that the Sox will move Tanner Houck back into the rotation to cover for Whitlock's absence, since Houck has nicely settled into his newly created two-inning high-leverage set-up man, a key figure in the Sox' bullpen).
But it's also clear that, for the first time this season, the Red Sox are being tested by injuries -- just as they've climbed back over the .500 mark following a 20-9 run, they're down a center fielder/leadoff man and a top starter in the rotation.
No one is about to feel sorry for them. The Yankees, who own the best record in the league, have, in recent weeks, lost Josh Donaldson, Giancarlo Stanton, Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loaisiga and Chad Green, and somehow survived, indeed, prospered, comfortably ahead in the division standings.
Now it's the Red Sox' turn to show some resilience.
Hernandez had yet to get untracked at the plate, but the Sox will miss his defensive presence in the outfield. They have a natural replacement in Jackie Bradley Jr., who may well be superior to Hernandez in center. But moving Bradley over to center creates a hole in right field. They have Refsnyder, Franchy Cordero and Christian Arroyo to play right, but none is as anywhere near as accomplished as Bradley at the position.
As for the rotation, there's a difference between potential -- which, for a change, is in no short supply at the top of the system -- and actual performance. Winckowski was given a spot start late last month and lasted just three innings in his major league debut.
Crawford has shown flashes in relief, but he's not yet earned a more permanent spot on the staff. Walter and Bello have dominated International League hitters, but evaluators across the industry maintain that the gap between Triple A and the big leagues has been wider. The Sox would be confident with either pitcher stepping in and getting a few turns, but they should be under no illusions when it comes to their expectations.
Even with advances in nutrition, conditioning, sleep and treatment, injuries are a fact of life. The Red Sox have been fortunate that they've gotten more than a third of the way through the schedule without being tested.
That's changed in the last 72 hours. How well the Sox handle the absences of a couple of regular contributors will reveal plenty about their internal depth, and ultimately, their ability to remain in contention the rest of the way.