Liam Hendriks DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said on Monday that veteran right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) is on track for a normal spring training in 2025. In addition to having a normal spring, the 35-year-old Australian should be "fully healthy" for the start of the regular season, giving the BoSox an experienced high-leverage reliever at the back of their bullpen. Although Hendriks hasn't been healthy in recent seasons and has also battled cancer, he is a three-time All-Star and has 116 career saves over 13 big-league seasons, so he could be firmly in play for the closer's role to begin the year. Hendriks is recovering from Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch at all last year, though, so he could struggle with efficiency and velocity early on next season. As of right now, his biggest competition for closing duties will come from veteran lefty Aroldis Chapman.

Boston Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) is likely to be shut down for the rest of the season, according to manager Alex Cora. "Basically where we're at right now we'll probably shut him down. We've got nine games in the regular season so it's going to be hard to get him going again," Cora said. Hendriks has been working all season to return from Tommy John surgery but recently suffered a minor setback a couple weeks ago. With Boston four games back from a wild-card spot, it appears the better game plan is to have Hendriks aim for a 2025 return. The 35-year-old hasn't pitched in a major-league game since June 2023 but has been effective when healthy. Boston will need a healthy Hendriks to produce in 2025 and help a bullpen that ranks 26th in the majors with a 4.53 ERA. Fantasy managers looking for bullpen help to finish the season should look to Boston reliever Josh Winckowski, as he's posted a 3.18 ERA and recorded two saves in September for the Red Sox.

Despite suffering a minor setback in his rehab that prevented him from making back-to-back appearances this week, Boston Red Sox veteran right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) said he remains convinced he will return in 2024. Hendriks thinks he can be effective to close out the year and expects his stuff to bounce back to pre-Tommy John surgery levels in 2025. The 35-year-old Aussie is under contract with Boston next year as well and should be expected to be a key piece as a late-inning setup man. However, it remains to be seen if he'll even pitch in the big leagues down the stretch this year with the Red Sox fighting for the final spot in the American League wild-card race. The three-time All-Star has 116 career saves in his 13 years in the big leagues, but he has appeared in just five games in the last two years.