Liam Hendriks DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) played catch at Globe Life Field on Sunday before the team's series finale against the Texas Rangers after he was originally told not to throw for three days after getting an injection to improve a compressed nerve in his right elbow. Hendriks is expecting to resume a normal throwing program in hopes of being activated from the injured list relatively soon, although it sounds the like the Red Sox won't be activating him when he's eligible to return on April 8. The team is going to exercise caution with the veteran reliever since he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since June of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. The 36-year-old Australian has 116 career saves in 13 big-league seasons and should be a late-inning option for Boston when he's healthy, but he also had a 9.95 ERA and 2.21 WHIP in 6 1/3 innings this spring before injuring his elbow.

Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) is dealing with right-elbow inflammation and is being placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox announced the other day that veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman would open the regular season as their primary closer, and now Hendriks will be on the shelf to begin the year, further dropping his fantasy appeal for those scrounging for save opportunities. The 36-year-old Australian is a three-time All-Star and has plenty of closing experience (116 career saves in 13 MLB seasons), but he didn't pitch at all in 2024 after having Tommy John surgery in 2023. His elbow issue could help explain why Hendriks struggled with his command during Grapefruit League action. With Hendriks out, Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock will have bigger roles as late-inning setup men in front of Chapman.

MassLive's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam write that Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks appears to be behind left-hander Aroldis Chapman for closing duties to begin the 2025 regular season, even though he has seemingly corrected some of the command issues he had early in camp. Second-year right-hander Justin Slaten will also be an option for the BoSox in late-inning, high-leverage situations. As things stand right now, Chapman and Slaten are ahead of Hendriks, who has allowed six earned runs on 12 hits (two homers) while walking none and striking out four in five appearances in the Grapefruit League. The 36-year-old Australian is a three-time All-Star and has 116 career MLB saves over 13 seasons, though, so he's still going to be a key member of Boston's bullpen in 2025. He just isn't much of a target for save speculators right now.