No shoulder surgery expected for Sale
Despite being scratched twice from postseason starts after throwing only 158 innings in the regular season, Chris Sale is not expected to need offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said yesterday that the shoulder inflammation that bothered Sale the last few months will likely require rest, but no surgery. “We anticipate him to come to spring training and be 100 percent,” Dombrowski said. “And at this point, without any surgical procedures. We think everything that will take care of it is just rest.” The Red Sox tried to take extra caution with their starting pitchers all year and will likely take that one step further in 2019, manager Alex Cora said. There hasn’t been a team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees won three straight in 1998-2000. “Joking with Chris the other day, we had some get together, I said, ‘You might pitch, your first spring training start might be March 20 and the season starts March 27,’” Cora said. “So, we’ll talk about it. (Trainer Brad Pearson) knows we have to really take care of this guy, not only because of the (last) month, the way we did it. We were very aggressive with them. “That’s an ongoing project already. We’ll take care of them. We have to do it. We have to do it. I mean, you saw Houston. Houston played all the way to the end, November 1, and they came out of the gates hot, throwing the ball well. So, we’ll take a look at what other teams have done the past few years and we’ll map out our own plan.”
Hopeful on Pedroia
The Red Sox can’t say for sure if Dustin Pedroia will be ready for spring training. “We’re hopeful but we really don’t know at this time,” Dombrowski said. They will have at least two other second basemen, since Brock Holt is arbitration eligible and still under team control, and Eduardo Nunez recently picked up his $5 million player option to return to the Red Sox in 2019. Cora made Pedroia a special promise if Pedroia is ready to go on Opening Day. “Actually, to win it without him, it was tough enough,” Cora said. “I told him, ‘you’re going to impact this team regardless, on the field or off the field.’ What he did in the clubhouse was amazing, in the dugout, he was still the same guy showing up a half hour before the game in the dugout. “We’ll see how it goes. I still expect him to contribute (in 2019). Like I told him, you guys can go ahead and write it, if he’s ready to go, that’s the only game he’s going to lead off next year. He’ll lead off Opening Day. I told him that a few months ago because he deserves it. Mookie (Betts) won’t lead off one game next year. That’s the goal.” Knuckleballer Steven Wright is in a similar situation after having identical knee surgery last offseason. He said during the WS that he will need a minor procedure in his knee this winter, though Dombrowski said yesterday that nothing has been planned.
Dombro ‘happy here’
After principal owner John Henry went out of his way to remind reporters Wednesday that the Red Sox were “running out of time with Dave Dombrowski,” presumably related to his fiveyear contract he signed in 2015, Dombrowski was asked if he wanted to stay with the Red Sox beyond the duration of his deal. “I’m very happy here,” Dombrowski said. “I like it here. I don’t know that we’re running out of time, I’m not really sure in that regard. So I’m thrilled and happy to be here. I enjoy it a great deal and like the people with whom I work. I’ve got an ownership situation that’s treated me great. How can you not like this situation? I like it a great deal.”
Smith is out
The Red Sox are moving on from right-hander Carson Smith, one of the best relievers in baseball in 2015 who has been mostly injured in the three years since. He was eligible for arbitration going into the 2019 season but the Sox decided to outright him off the major league roster instead. Smith has elected free agency. After recovering from Tommy John surgery for most of 2016-17, the 29-yearold looked strong at the end of 2017. He looked to be a key member of the Sox’ bullpen early in 2018 until he hurt his shoulder while throwing his glove in the dugout after coming out of a game in May and needed season-ending shoulder surgery.