What Benintendi’s Trip to the IL Means for the Red Sox

Andrew Benintendi was off to a very rough start to his 2020 season. He started the year in the lead off spot and then he couldn’t buy a hit. After Tuesday’s game he is hitting .103 on the year.

Well, his season has hit another rough patch because he has been placed on the Injured List due to a strained right rib cage that he suffered when he was caught in a run down on the base paths during Tuesday’s tough loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The good news is Benintendi did not break anything so his stint on the IL probably won’t be too much longer than 10 days.

The Red Sox have announced that starting pitcher Ryan Weber will be replacing him on the roster just days after he was sent down to the alternate site to make room for Thursday’s starter Kyle Hart.

Without Benintendi available, it will give Alex Verdugo and Kevin Pillar consistent reps in the outfield, which will be a good thing for the Red Sox because both of them have had to hit their way into the lineup. But now they can relax and just do their thing.

You might also see J.D. Martinez in the outfield a little bit more just to give Jackie Bradley Jr., Verdugo, and Pillar some days off of their feet.

The good news for Ron Roenicke is he is getting back Rafael Devers tonight after missing a couple of games due to an ankle injury.

(Photo: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)