The 2025 MLB season is about a month away, meaning spring training battles are starting to heat up.
The Boston Red Sox have seen their fair share of positional competitions this spring, including when it comes to the starting rotation and bullpen. Veteran right-handed pitcher Liam Hendricks, who joined the Red Sox on a two-year contract last spring, is one name who's competing for a rotational spot as the likes of Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello deal with injuries.
After making his Red Sox spring training debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Hendricks sent a clear message to manager Alex Cora about why he deserves to be on the 40-man roster.
Red Sox News: Liam Hendricks Pleads Case to Be on 2025 Roster
Hendricks pitched an inning during the 8-2 loss to the Rays, striking out a batter in a scoreless inning. Following the solid showing, the three-time All-Star RHP gave MassLive's Chris Cotillo some deeper insight into his spring training mindset
"I just want to be given an opportunity for it," Hendricks said. "If I win the job, I win the job. If I don’t win the job, I don’t win the job. It’s not going to change how I go about pitching or my mentality about anything."
Even though cracking Cora's lineup is far from guaranteed, Hendricks won't let any doubts creep into his mind.
"We’ll take it by ear but I plan on winning the job," he added.
101 mph fastballs. Crazy fist-pump celebrations and expletive-laced explanations. The Red Sox' closer competition got off to a wild start Wednesday:https://t.co/9pRrkq086K
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 26, 2025
Regardless of how Hendricks handles the remainder of spring training, time will tell if he'll be healthy enough to play once the regular season arrives.
After all, injuries were a major theme for the 36-year-old righty last season. Hendricks began the 2024 campaign on the 60-day injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He began his rehab assignment during the summer, however, a combination of elbow inflammation and the Red Sox's poor play caused the club to shut down his comeback attempt.
When all was said and done, Hendricks had pitched to a 1.80 ERA with three strikeouts in five innings across five Triple-A and Double-A starts.
A former All-Star hurler, time will tell if Hendricks can turn back the clock and crack the Red Sox's rotation or bullpen. The Australian veteran has only made five appearances since the start of the 2023 MLB season, meaning he must prove that health won't be an issue going forward if he wants to continue seeing opportunities.