Rodriguez hopes to make 30-plus starts
Red Sox starter ready to bounce back from COVID setback of 2020
Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez not only feels 100%, but after a lost season, he believes he's in the shape required to build off his breakthrough 2019 season.
After testing positive for COVID-19 and then suffering from myocarditis that kept him out of last year's shortened season, it's unclear what to expect from Rodriguez this season. But as camp opens, Rodriguez isn't under any physical restrictions and he says everything feels normal to him. And after a hard-working offseason of conditioning and getting back to full strength, he thinks he can mirror his 2019, when he set career highs with 34 starts and 203 1/3 innings.
"That's what I was working on this offseason to get my body ready, get my mind ready, get everything ready, my conditioning, everything," Rodriguez said Friday. "I was working on that to be available to go out there every five days and be able to throw 30-plus starts. I feel in that position right now, I feel stronger right now, I feel better. My shoulder is good. I threw a bullpen a couple of days ago and it feels fine, it feels great. I feel ready."
Rodriguez is expected to throw his first bullpen against live hitters on Saturday, manager Alex Cora said, though the manager said it won't be the first time that the lefty has thrown against live hitters during this process. Cora said Rodriguez spent some time this winter in Miami, where he worked out with a group that included J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera and faced some batters.
Still, if Rodriguez does go Saturday at JetBlue Park, it will be the first time the Red Sox will get a close look at him during a live BP, an important step to determining what he can handle moving forward.
"As far as the usage and everything, we have to pay attention but that doesn't mean we're going to slow him down," Cora said. "The way he reacts is going to let us know how much we give him or if we have to slow him down. But so far, so good. He threw a bullpen two days ago and yesterday he did pitching fielding practice and today he did the same thing. He did some cardio work and so far, so good. It's been two days with no issues and
with no issues and I'm happy for him."
Rodriguez is grateful to be where he is now. He admitted it was hard to learn of his diagnosis and be forced to stop physical activities while watching games from home. But as soon as he was cleared, he was fully committed in his pursuit to get back to normal. He was playing catch by mid-November, throwing bullpens at least once a week by December and working tirelessly with his conditioning, staying in contact with strength and conditioning coach Kiyoshi Momose. His recent workouts with Martinez in Miami marked an important step in feeling back to normal.
There's still obviously work to be done, but Rodriguez is appreciating his return to Fort Myers a little more this spring.
"Thank God that I have the opportunity to be back here again," Rodriguez said. "I enjoy every time I go out there, every time I have a ball in my hand and I have a chance to throw a bullpen or play catch, even like just talking to the guys and everything, just being here you're blessed to have chance to get back here, because you see a lot of people with the troubles and everything that they have, people dying and all of that, to have a chance to be back here is something I really feel happy about it."
And the 27-year-old has an important reminder for anyone who may not be taking COVID-19 seriously, even if the pandemic has lasted nearly a year now.
"Just wear your mask, wash your hands, be careful," Rodriguez said. "Keep your distance with other people. This is not something we can just play around with. I was feeling really bad back in those days. I was feeling really, really bad and I know this is not something we can play around with."
If everything goes right this spring, Rodriguez has a good chance to be named the Red Sox' Opening Day starter, but he doesn't care about that. Nor is the lefty thinking about a potential contract extension to stay in Boston, as he's set to hit free agency after the 2021 season. After all he's been through, he just wants to pitch right now and let everything else come.
"I just thank God to have the opportunity to pitch again," Rodriguez said. "I'm not thinking about any of that right now. I'm just thinking about getting ready to pitch the season, enjoy the spring training the most I can, learn from the guys, learn from the pitching coach and go out there and get ready for the season. That's all I'm thinking about right now. I'm not thinking about anything else."