Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez has been shut down for the 2020 season as a result of the myocarditis he has experienced following a bout with COVID-19, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While the Red Sox are confident that Rodriguez will make a full recovery in the long term, his heart issues have persisted and will prevent him from pitching this season.
Since going on the injured list in early July due to COVID-19, Rodriguez has dealt with mild heart inflammation that developed as a result of the illness. Thankfully, the condition hasn’t negatively affected the function of Rodriguez’s heart, though it has not subsided to the point where he’s expected to recover in time to pitch this year.
Needless to say, the outlook for the Red Sox rotation sans Rodriguez is a rather bleak one. Even with the 27-year-old southpaw in the mix, the rotation looked like a thin unit, but it was certainly a bit more inspiring than the patchwork unit Ron Roenicke will henceforth have to count on. With Chris Sale on the shelf for the year, Rodriguez was expected to shoulder a bigger load atop the Red Sox rotation, which currently consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, and Zack Godley.
Rodriguez emerged as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball late last year, authoring a career-best season on virtually every measurable front. He posted his best marks yet in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and ERA. And if that wasn’t enough reason to be excited for another year of progress, he was at his best in the final month of the season, averaging 12.7 K/9 over his last six starts—his highest rate in a single month of his five-year career (minimum three starts).
Of course, the focus right now shouldn’t be on the on-field consequences of Rodriguez’s absence, but on his long-term health and recovery. We hope to see E-Rod make a swift return to full health and back on the mound in 2021. For now, his situation is a reminder that even young, world-class athletes are not immune to complications from COVID-19.
Well, we’re doomed. Good job management!
Really has nothing to do with management. He’s I’ll from the infection if Covid-19. The simple fact they caught it before he was doing strenuous activities is a great thing. Hopefully he recovers entirely and can contribute next season. The 60 game season probably won’t finish out anyway.
Having 1.5 major league caliber pitchers behind Rodriguez is on management
Yeah. Who would of thought a new gm and front office trying to rebuild a farm and clean up payroll wouldn’t be able to put together a decent rotation. Complete mystery why this is an issue.
This was a 2013 type season. They had starters then but in reality we’re not anywhere near the best “on paper”. This was always going to be a sacrificial year due to the budget. Try and re-read blogs on MLBTR from late 2018. Many were writing then how this was going to be a pay the piper season and Sox fans were mostly understanding and accepting given the unreal 2018 season.
The Jays game was postponed, so we watched Zack Godley’s innings. I said to my son, “He can’t leave the ball in the zone, And he can’t walk anyone. If he can do that, he should be fine.” Funny because true!
The original plan for this year was:
1) Chris Sale
2) E-Rod
3) Nate Eovaldi
4) Martin Pérez
5) Ryan Weber / Opener
They lost 1 & 2 and the owners wouldn’t let them pay big dollars to sign another starter (not like there were any FA’s left by that time anyways). The Sox should scrap what they are doing now and bring up the young kids. Let’s see what Tanner Houck can do. Heck, why not throw Jay Groome in the mix as well? They are not a good team so they should see what these kids can do now versus putting the likes of Osich, Hall, Godley out there. Worst case, they stink this season and get a high draft pick to start rebuilding this team.
TerryM nothing about that story was funny. Being a low-info Jays fan you probably praised the Godley acquisition when it happened. Would be par for the course.
looiebelongsinthehall Huge difference. We had major league pitchers in 2013 and actually won the whole thing. That’s not happening in 2020. This is nothing like 2013.
Sounds good but they will never waste any of those guys ML Service Time this year. They are in Pawtucket getting as much developmental work in as possible.
Probably won’t finish out ?!?! It doesn’t have a prayer. How mAny games can you postpone in a 60 game season ?
Its a good thing no one GAF this year. Who cares?
Nobody can save this season for the Red Sox. Hopefully he’s healthy in time for 2021. Every time he makes steps in the right direction in his career something makes him take a step back.
Marlins wanna take it seriously now?
@ Sherlock, Everyone who says “baseball players are young and healthy and won’t have any problems if/ when they get covid” wanna now take it seriously? There is a drove of research showing that plenty of “young” people who are otherwise healthy have serious health problems after their bouts with covid. The numbers are not huge, which is good. But, even young healthy people can have long term and serious consequences from this virus.
German study of 100 30/40 year olds who had COVID-19 vs 100 who had not found 66% more of the COVID-19 cases showed heart issues even after 1 month later.
We won’t know “longterm” damage of COVID-19 until we are in the longterm.
Your last line is criminally overlooked. It might be fine, it might be horrible. Only time will tell.
@Halo11. I think you are overreacting my friend. Acell posted a reasonable URL to support his case and you kind of lashed out there. No judgement on my end. I’ve done the same.
I think when something starts messing with a vital organ, it’s serious. Rodriguez is obviously fine at the moment but I think it’s the potential of what it can do. Simply not having a good knowledge of it’s future impact itself is concerning enough.
Lol!!
Early signs for long term effects aren’t good. Anecdotally, a friend of mine (early 40s) will have to be on an inhaler for the rest of his life after recovering from Covid in March.
I fear players like E-Rod will have to live with long term issues, and that it could end their careers.
I’m pretty sure that’s what he was saying
Bummer.
Get well, Eddie.
might as well. safer for him and better for the team going forward.
This is such big news, and what’s bad is I feel like it will be over-looked in the grand scheme of news right now. This story should show people how serious Covid CAN be *cough* Marlins *cough* Cardinals. The people that say this is no worse than the flu don’t look at what this thing CAN do to even healthy people.
well this is on the MLBPA , they wanted to do what ever it took to keep players safe. even try a bubble like season. but players said no and look what happen
Your shade is appropriate. The Cardinals have three staffers and one player testing positive. They didnt go out drinking like the Marlins did. In your crazy rational every who ever gets it didnt take it seriously. That’s fairly shortsighted.
If you catch Covid via some unknown source , that’s one thing. I’m saying teams like the Marlins that had players go out to Atlanta and party are at fault for their bad decision making, theirs happened by choice not by chance. And okay, I’m being a little harsh on the Cards, because we still don’t know where they caught it from. Sorry for that.
Exactly! Marlins went looking for it!! Damn you Marlins! They infected the Cardinals and now E-rod! Why did they go out to the strip club?!! Whyyy?!!!!! No other team is doing it!! At least that what’s Nightengale says!!
your medal is in the mail.
Really, I had no idea people, especially mlb players, in their teens and 20s lack impulse control and think only about themselves in the here and now. What a revelation. Its called society today, look around and you see it daily. Not that its good, but this certainly isn’t a novel idea… MLB dropped the ball by not having an overseer of regulations from the get go. I have no facts but I assume some teams already had one in place. But thats another person the marlins would have to pay so unless it became mandatory, they’ll pass and see where it got them, especially rostering such a young team…
@Halo11Fan – Pretty sure people roundly mock you because you’re an idiot.
Pangolin are you saying all MLB players under 30 are virgins and never go out to parties or strip clubs? I’d say reality is something you do not want to face. The idiot card is somewhere in-front of your mirror. Look for it.
No reports have said anything about parties or strip clubs, no matter how nicely that fits your narrative. One person could have gotten it anywhere and spread this to the entire team. Sounds like you’re the one who doesn’t want to face the reality that this season is over.
No reports have said anything about parties or strip clubs, no matter how nicely that fits your narrative. One person could have gotten it anywhere and spread this to the entire team. Sounds like you’re the one who doesn’t want to face the reality that this season is over.
it a bigger issues when the marlins get it since it took down half the 30 man roster. but with the cards it a freak thing which who knows how or when they got it.
Wear a mask.
You’re late to the party. The flip flop Doc said to wear goggles too.
Oh boy, there’s an ignorant f*ckwit who doesn’t understand how science works! Lucky us!
Yeah, he’s exactly the problem. Because of Mormons like him, 10,000 people a week more than normal are dying.
The flip-flop doc? You’re an idiot. You can believe, and follow the advice of, a top infectious Doctor who has served six presidents. Or, you can follow the advice of a reality TV “star”. The doctor is providing sensible advice on a novel virus that no one knew anything about a year ago.The denier in chief is still peddling quack cures six months in to the crisis. Hydroxychloroquin does not prevent or cure C-19, yet idiots still keep promoting it, as well as anything else they can dream up (maybe they can inject a disinfectant into the body). I’ll take my advice from the doctor.
Don’t worry nothing to see here… whole thing is a hoax the media must’ve gotten to him blah blah blah. In all seriousness, if this is what it takes for people to realize it’s a real issue, so be it. At least none of them have died so far. Get well Eddie, we’ll miss ya till next year.
Im guessing Halo 11 sits this thread out
it goes to show you doesnt matter who you are,how old you are or how healthy you are this virus dont play and will get anyone it plz.
Tough on E-Rod. For the Red Sox an already bad starting rotation just got a lot worse going forward.
While I’m a Yankees fan and hate the Red Sox as much as I hate crime, snakes, insects, the authoritarian left, loud motorcycles, bumper stickers, and diet drinks, I think what the current ownership did to this team is beyond reproach.
The current management has destroyed a very, very good team. I can only imagine what it is like to be a Red Sox fan with this new approach. How can a big market team with a proud history hire a Rays alumni who view team building as an exercise in cost cutting?
Its a joke of a 60 game season that might be canceled. Shh.
They really haven’t destroyed the team. They are trying to reset the lux tax. Carry on with the nonsense though. Wishful thinking. Yes, this year is painful, next year will be too, since there will be no reset. thanks to the morons who couldn’t see this coming. The bubble was the only option. People need to be protected from themselves. Funny coming from a Yankee fan who’s team did the same thing. They left themselves short for a few years in cost cutting moves. Yes, they were very good, but not good enough to win it all due to the lack of willingness to get pitching and being distracted by the shiny thing that is the oft injured Stanton. I am very happy with ownership and the rings they have helped to bestow on the Red Sox. Thanks for your concern though.
The Red Sox have won several recent championships. They were saddled with massive albatross contracts, and unhealthy veterans. The choice was to keep pumping more and more money in hopes of remaining on the fringes of competitiveness, or blow it up and start over.
They did the right thing. Sucks for the fans, but they’ll be back with a vengeance in a few years if Bloom can prove he’s all people say he is.
If baseball gets shuts down, just make goalpost moving into a spectator sport.
Get well, get well soon! We want you to get well!
Mr. Rodriguez – no clue if you can read this. Regardless this is serious – way more than baseball and strikeouts. The genetic makeup of us all makes us what we are. You seem to have covid + heart = an issue. Get well!
We are going to see some, maybe not many, but certainly some, have significant issues with COVID. It’s inevitable, given the number of people exposed, extended travel, what 20-somethings sometimes do, and just luck of the draw. Every time it happens, MLB is going to have another one of these public soul-searching moments. I suspect, those will be for the camera, since they had to take this into account when planning the truncated season and negotiating the protocols. MLB does not want to shut down. They want to get through the season, even if it’s an uneven number of games, get to the playoffs (where the money is) and just play. I can’t imagine any of the owners or management or player-negotiators didn’t think there could be an Rodriguez. They just decided to assume the risk. Let’s hope he gets well.