Just one day after the Roman Anthony tragedy struck, we’ve got more injury news. Or maybe it’s “injury” news. Jordan Hicks, who has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball since being acquired from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade, will be going on the IL with “a shoulder issue.” Is the issue merely that his shoulder is not good at throwing baseballs? That’s unclear, but he’ll be replaced on the roster by Chris Murphy, who has compiled a 3.05 ERA in 20.2 big league innings with the Sox this season. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
If you’re wondering why it isn’t Kyle Harrison who will be taking Hicks’ roster spot, even though it was reported that Harrison was traveling from Worcester to Boston the other day, that’s because Harrison was making the drive down the pike for a much lamer reason: to have an MRI. Harrison has been battling a lingering ankle issue with the WooSox and he traveled to Boston for further evealuation. If the MRI had come back clean, the Sox would have promoted him yesterday. Alas, it didn’t and he’s back in Worm Town. That’s a serious gut punch for a kid who thought he was going to be back in the bigs. (Tommy Cassell, Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
As for the Anthony injury, it certainly comes at a bad time. The Sox’ recent stretch of winning baseball has obscured the fact that the offense has gone back into a bit of a funk. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But Alex Bregman, who has struggled at the plate since returning form his own IL stint, doesn’t want to turn the Anthony injury into an excuse. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Still, the loss of the rookie sensation is brutal, particularly since Anthony had already managed to forge a connection with the city and arguably turn himself into the face of the franchise. (Steve Buckley, The Athletic)
Anthony was replaced on the roster by Nick Sogard, while Kristian Campbell remains mired in Worcester. Alex Cora said the Sox went with Sogard because of his versatility, while the Sox want Campbell to continue to get regular playing time while he rounds out his game. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
