Darwinzon Hernandez could pitch again for Red Sox this season

Darwinzon Hernandez (sprained SC joint) was scheduled to throw his latest bullpen session Saturday at Tropicana Field.

Hernandez was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 31 and has been active for just 11 days this season. He missed Summer Camp while recovering from COVID-19.

"I think he’ll pitch again this season," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. "We need to be smart about it. If we don’t think he’s ready and he’s right, we won’t do it. [...]

Darwinzon Hernandez (sprained SC joint) was scheduled to throw his latest bullpen session Saturday at Tropicana Field.

Hernandez was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 31 and has been active for just 11 days this season. He missed Summer Camp while recovering from COVID-19.

"I think he’ll pitch again this season," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. "We need to be smart about it. If we don’t think he’s ready and he’s right, we won’t do it."

Josh Taylor (left shoulder tendinitis) was similarly delayed in beginning his 2020 campaign after a positive test for COVID-19. He was isolated in a Boston hotel room while waiting for the virus to clear his system. Roenicke sees a correlation between interrupted preparation and those two eventual IL stints.

"You think about sitting out a month and not doing anything," Roenicke said. "You can do as much as you can physically in your room, but that’s still not the same. I think there’s definitely a correlation between that and something happening physically."

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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