Boston Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi is reportedly heading to the Injured List. According to various reports, the outfielder suffered a rib injury while on the basepaths in Tuesday’s 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Andrew Benintendi sprained his right rib cage. He's going on the injured list.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 12, 2020
Boston Red Sox Outfielder Andrew Benintendi Placed On Injured List
Benintendi fell down in-between the basepaths during Tuesday’s lopsided loss. While the outfielder played through the injury, he reportedly strained his right rib cage and won’t be on the field for a little while. Ironically, this was arguably Benintendi’s best game of the season, as he went 2-3 from the leadoff spot.
Despite his multi-hit game, Benintendi is having a season to forget. The left fielder just hasn’t looked right all season, and his numbers reflect that. Through the first 17 games of the season, Benintendi owns an underwhelming .103/.314/.128 slash line with an accompanying 47 wRC+. He’s striking out on 32.7% of his plate appearances and has yet to record a home run. The lone silver lining is that his 21.2% walk rate is well above league-average.
Andrew Benintendi’s season is basically a perfect encapsulation of the 2020 Boston Red Sox. While nobody had any serious hopes of competing for a title, this team still found a way to underwhelm early on. The pitching staff is one of the worst in the league, as Nathan Eovaldi is the only reliable arm on the staff. Additionally, the batters haven’t held up their end of the bargain. In addition to Benintendi, guys like Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, and Jackie Bradley Jr.have been hot and cold throughout the season. This is, of course, just 17 games, so it probably doesn’t mean anything regarding their long-term outlook.
Despite the slow start, the Red Sox still have an outside shot at the playoffs. Boston faces off against the 10-8 Tampa Bay Rays today at 7:30. Zack Godley takes the mound for Boston, going up against Blake Snell.
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