Eduardo Rodriguez Reportedly Heading To DL With Knee Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- Eduardo Rodriguez said a fall during warmups ahead of his Thursday night start against the Orioles didn't play into his poor performance.
But that little slip will now cost him some time, as the Red Sox lefty is reportedly heading to the disabled list with discomfort in his knee:
Baseball source: Eduardo Rodriguez going to DL with knee injury. Hurt in slip during warm-ups last night. Discomfort today. Details to come
— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) June 2, 2017
Rodriguez was one of Boston's best pitchers to start the season, but was roughed up in Baltimore on Thursday night to the tune of seven runs off eight hits over 5.2 innings. He gave up four home runs and earned his first loss since his 2017 season debut on April 8.
"I just threw a pitch and my foot got in a bad position and I went down," he said of his pregame fall in the bullpen (via MLB.com). "But nothing crazy. I just landed a bit different, and that's it."
It turns out that little tumble was a lot more severe than originally thought, and the Red Sox will soon have another starting pitcher on the disabled list. Brian Johnson, who tossed a complete game shutout against the Mariners on May 27, will likely be recalled from Triple-A and take Rodriguez's spot in the Boston rotation.
The injury is concerning, as Rodriguez has battled knee injuries in the past. He began the 2016 season on the disabled list after suffering a dislocated kneecap in spring training while fielding fly balls, and didn't make his first start until May 31.
Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) for the Red Sox this season.