As groups reported for spring coaching, the harm information across the league got here in quick and furiously final week. From pitchers who handled arm accidents in 2025 and didn’t have them repaired within the offseason — like Pablo Lopez, Blake Snell, Shane Bieber, and Josh Hader, being eased into the preseason — to a trio of hitters in Corbin Carroll, Francisco Lindor, and Jackson Holliday needing surgical procedure on their hamate bones. Anthony Santander missed over 4 months a yr in the past and is simply now getting surgical procedure on his shoulder, more likely to miss most of 2026 as nicely. Blue Jays followers needs to be allowed to file a lawsuit for such habits.
The lone Pink Sox harm of notice final week was to not a full-time beginning participant however is notable nonetheless. Romy Gonzalez is behind schedule in spring training with shoulder inflammation, however “hopes to be prepared for Opening Day,” in accordance with Christopher Smith’s article for Mass Reside final week. The extra alarming particulars on this piece are that Gonzalez sustained this harm within the September 19-21 collection at Tampa Bay final season. He had a setback in early January after which obtained a PRP injection later within the month.
As a basic rule, very similar to with the pitchers listed above, for those who finish the season with an harm after which arrive at camp the subsequent season with the identical harm nonetheless bothering you, that’s most likely not going to finish nicely. Domestically, a current instance could be pitcher Kutter Crawford. In a narrative that was, coincidentally, posted on February 15th of final yr, we discovered that Crawford had pitched by a knee harm for 90% of the 2024 season, didn’t get it repaired within the offseason, and that his “standing for the beginning of the season is iffy.” Harmless wording of that nature — similar to “Opening Day is in query,” or “a bit behind the opposite gamers” — appears to be copied and pasted into all articles this time of yr. It hardly ever ends nicely. Crawford didn’t pitch for Boston in 2025.
Over the previous two weeks, the Pink Sox notably signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a head-scratching $6 million contract for 2026, in addition to bringing again three versatile infielders in a commerce with the Brewers. Moreover, the group claimed one other versatile infielder, Tsung-Che Cheng, off waivers from the Washington Nationals and added him to the 40-man roster, and added second baseman Brendan Rodgers on a minor-league deal. That could be a complete lot of peculiar infielders which have been added to the group in current weeks. One may even describe it as a plethora of peculiar infielders. “Would you say that we have a plethora of peculiar infielders, Brez?”
This amount over high quality of strategy didn’t make a lot sense till the Gonzalez information got here down every week in the past, and is a results of ready till late within the offseason to handle clear deficiencies within the lineup. When famous lefty-killer Rob Refsnyder signed with the Mariners in December for $6.25M, it was laborious to fault the group for letting him go together with the entire outfielders on the roster and the probability of Kristian Campbell additionally shifting to the outfield.
However with Refsnyder gone, if the group can be with out Gonzalez for half, or all, of the season, that could be a particular concern in opposition to left-handed pitching. Gonzalez, Refsnyder, Rafael Devers, and Alex Bregman have been the highest 4 hitters in OPS for the Pink Sox a yr in the past in opposition to lefties. With out them, somebody goes to should step up. It also needs to be famous that Gonzalez is the one different participant on the anticipated Opening Day roster with any expertise taking part in first base apart from Willson Contreras. And Gonzalez wasn’t simply good in opposition to southpaws a yr in the past, he hit the ball laborious in opposition to most everyone.
Here’s a itemizing of the 13 gamers presently projected on Roster Useful resource to make the Opening Day roster, alongside their stats versus left-handed pitching in 2025, sorted by wRC+. I additionally included Kristian Campbell, who figures to play a key function on the group this season, and might be a substitute for Gonzalez if he misses time.
For reference, Refsnyder slashed .302/.399/.560 (.959 OPS) with a 159 wRC+ in opposition to lefties in 138 plate appearances. After Romy, the highest participant within the listing above, there isn’t a lot to hold on to. Roman Anthony will proceed to enhance, however he struck out 39% of the time. Kristian Campbell walked a lot in opposition to lefties, however hit simply .207 in comparison with a .227 common in opposition to righties. Ceddanne Rafaela posted a .220 batting common. Jarren Duran was at .211. Alex Cora has already famous that Abreu will get extra probabilities to face lefties, however he had a .230 mark a yr in the past and has a .205 profession common in opposition to them. The best-handed hitting Kiner-Falefa, in case you questioned if he was introduced in to assist on this division, walked 1.6% of the time (!!) and had a .536 OPS in opposition to lefties, in comparison with a .668 OPS in opposition to right-handers. Marcelo Mayer was barely allowed to face them, however hit .154 in 26 at-bats.
Just a few days in the past, when requested about Romy’s progress, Cora described it as “a troublesome offseason” for Gonzalez and that he’s “pissed off” as they watch for the PRP injection to kick in.
For 2-plus years now, many people on this web site have famous the dearth of lefty-righty stability in each the most important league group and with the looming prospects who at the moment are up within the massive leagues. Little or no has modified in that sense, and now there’s a brand new weak point — an absence of energy within the lineup after the departure of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers — that has emerged over the previous eight months. It is going to be attention-grabbing to see if anybody on the present roster, equivalent to Abreu, Duran, and Mayer, is ready to step up in opposition to southpaws this season. Or maybe it will likely be a reputation we aren’t even specializing in right now, from that plethora of infielders that Craig Breslow has acquired to this point this month.
