The Boston Red Sox are trying to break out of their middling start to the 2024 MLB season. Boston fell 28-29 after losing the first game of their late May Detroit Tigers series. Moreover, the Red Sox received key injury updates on pitcher Tyler O'Neill and outfielder Masataka Yoshida ahead of their second matchup.
Tyler O'Neill's injury woes stem from right knee inflammation, which worsened during Boston's May 25th matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers. As a result, the Red Sox moved him to the 10-day injury list. However, O'Neill received a cortisol shot in his knee and is aiming to play when he is eligible to be activated on Wednesday, per Ian Browne.
Meanwhile, Masataka Yoshida is dealing with a thumb injury that saw Boston move him to the 10-day IL as well. Yoshida started swinging off a tee on Thursday and said he thinks he can start batting practice soon, Jen McCaffrey reports. In addition, he is getting a few different custom thumbs to try.
Hopefully, O'Neill and Yoshida undergo an efficient recovery process and get back to helping Boston win.
Before his injury, Tyler O'Neill batted a .236 average, hit 11 home runs, and had been responsible for 17 RBI with a .843 OPS (ranked 24th in the league). His offensive presence provides much-needed depth for the Red Sox.
Masataka Yoshida has not had the start he wanted, but he has still been serviceable for Boston. The 30-year-old has batted .275, hit two home runs, and accumulated 11 RBI on a .736 OPS. Like O'Neill, he will contribute to Boston's depth upon his return.
While O'Neill and Yoshida get healthy, the Red Sox will continue to fight to climb the AL East standings.
Red Sox look forward to a new month
Before facing the Tigers, the Red Sox came off a challenging Baltimore Orioles series. Boston entered Wednesday night's matchup at 28-27, just one game above the .500 mark. After dropping their first game against Baltimore 11-3 on Monday, they responded with an 8-3 win on Tuesday. Unfortunately, Boston lost their last game of the series 6-1, which moved them to 28-28.
The Red Sox's woes did not end there. They lost 5-0 to the Tigers in Thursday night's matchup. Detroit's offense was a bit much for Boston to handle. They will not make the rest of the series easy. Their squad is led by a handful of contributors.
27-year-old right-hander Matt Verling leads the team in batting average with a.288 mark, ranked 23rd in the league. He has also hit two home runs, accumulated 11 RBI, and has an OPS of .736. Verling went at bat 4 times on Wednesday and amassed one run, one hit, and one walk.
Riley Greene aided Verling's effort with similar production, except he hit one homerun and was responsible for 2 RBI.
As for the Sox, they want to see more production from Jalen Duran and Wyler Abreu. Duran went to bat four times and walked away with an empty stat line. Meanwhile, Abreu went to bat three times and also had nothing to show for it.
If Boston can refocus and execute, they can turn the series around and build momentum going into June.
