David Price to 10-day DL with elbow inflammation
For the second time this season, David Price is headed to the disabled list with elbow trouble.
Entering the 2017 season, Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price had never made fewer than 27 starts in a full season at the MLB level and had topped 200 innings in six of the past seven seasons. All that wear and tear is beginning to show. Price did not make his 2017 debut until May 29 due to elbow inflammation and stiffness that began early in Spring Training.
Now, the balky elbow has Price hitting the disabled list for a second time. The Red Sox announced Friday afternoon that the left-hander has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with inflammation.
The #RedSox today placed LHP David Price on the 10-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2017
Next: Each MLB team's best trade ever
Price avoided Tommy John surgery the first time the elbow injury flared up before the year, but the Red Sox front office has to be wondering if the ligaments that hold his $217-million arm together are becoming a ticking time bomb. Price has made 46 starts for the Red Sox and is 22-12 with a 3.95 ERA. Boston is only 26-20 in games started by Price since signing him — not exactly what the front office was hoping for when they inked him to the biggest contract in team history.
The 2012 AL Cy Young winner and five-time All-Star has not suffered a dramatic drop in velocity with the Sox, but since 2013 there has been a noticeable decline in the life on his fastball. Price has put together stretches of dominance here and there in his time with the Red Sox, but things have just looked off with him. He has also engaged in more than one public dustup with media members, most recently calling out Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley on a team flight.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Red Sox do not plan to seek an immediate replacement for Price on the trade market. That is, of course, subject to change if more bad news about his health emerges down the line. Price has the ability to opt-out of his contract following the 2018 season, but with each new elbow flare-up, the chances he plays out all seven years in Boston increase exponentially.