Red Sox starter Steven Wright undergoes season-ending knee surgery

Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright will undergo season-ending knee surgery. His knee procedure is scheduled to take place May 8.

Steven Wright’s season is officially over. The knuckleball pitcher will require a cartilage restoration procedure on his left knee. The surgery will subsequently end Wright’s season.

The Boston Red Sox first released that statement regarding the status of Steven Wright:

Wright, 32, found success with the Red Sox in 2016. He went 13-6 to go along with a 3.33 ERA and an All-Star appearance last season. Under the tutelage of former Red Sox knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield, Wright was in the perfect spot to succeed. Unfortunately, Wright’s 2016 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Red Sox manager John Farrell made the foolhardy decision to use him as a pinch-runner late in the season where Wright suffered the injury on the base path.

Steven Wright didn’t exactly experience the same level of success to his 2017 campaign. In five starts, he posted a 1-3 record, an 8.25 ERA and -0.8 WAR. It appears that his knee issues may have been part of the reason the Red Sox starter struggled so much this season. Wright’s knee issues started as early as spring training as he wore a knee brace to begin the season.

Next: The 30 best MLB outfielders of all time

Boston has been bitten by the injury bug in 2017. David Price, Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg are just some of those important arms that currently sit on the disabled list. Price, in particular, is expected to join the Red Sox sometime in late May. Luckily for Boston, offseason trade acquisition Chris Sale has been as good as advertised keeping the Sox rotation afloat.

Boston recently called up Kyle Kendrick to take Wright’s spot in the rotation. Other rotation options include Roenis Elias, Henry Owens, Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez, who all currently play for Triple-A Pawtucket.