“Alex Cora said Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman left with a ‘tight back.’ Cora said it should not be an IL stint. He’s day to day,” Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported.
Chapman has been sensational for the Red Sox this season. He made the All-Star Game for the first time since 2021 and has a 1.31 ERA in 45 appearances. Chapman closed out the Saturday win for Boston by striking out Mookie Betts to end a Dodgers’ threat. He came into the game on Sunday in the eighth, but exited quickly.
Cora called on Jordan Hicks to clean up Chapman’s mess in the eighth. He proceeded to get five outs while allowing only one walk to shut down the Dodgers. Hicks was a key part of the Rafael Devers trade return from the San Francisco Giants, and it paid off on Sunday.
The Red Sox are already without Liam Hendriks due to a hip injury. If Chapman misses any time, Boston will struggle to close out games from the bullpen. Thursday’s MLB trade deadline could provide some help, but all contenders are looking for a bullpen arm. Chapman will not be going to the IL, according to Cora, so they don’t need to make a trade.
The Red Sox are firmly in the AL Wild Card race and could make a big move before the deadline. But will a bullpen arm be a part of their haul?
Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.
