Red Sox put major free agent bust on IL with suspicious injury

The Red Sox moved their offseason pick-up, Corey Kluber, to the IL with a suspicious injury. They might have moved him to the ‘Phantom IL’.

The Red Sox dove into free agency this year and signed Corey Kluber to a one-year deal. Kluber was supposed to be a big pick-up for the Red Sox rotation, despite being well out of his prime.

But Kluber has been far from a serviceable piece for the Red Sox, posting career highs in ERA, FIP, H/9 and HR/9. He’s allowed a stagging 17 home runs in less than 60 innings this season.

And now, after being moved to the bullpen and continuing to struggle, he’s been put on the IL.

Red Sox: Corey Kluber might have landed on the phantom IL

While MLB teams search for any way to create more roster flexibility, some teams are turning to the injured list as a way to move players around without losing them. This can be seen all throughout the MLB with almost every team. A player will struggle a bit and a few days later, they will be sent to the IL with an injury that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.

This certainly could be the case for Kluber, who ended up on the IL with shoulder inflammation.

There are no rules or ways around this use of the IL, as the MLB has no way of proving whether or not a player is injured. Neither does the media, as any phantom IL stint is complete speculation that is brought about because of the coincidental timing of the injuries.

For the Red Sox’s sake, hopefully, Kluber will be able to take this time on the IL to regroup and figure himself out. He may not be in his prime, but he had been a serviceable pitcher over the last few years. If he can come back to form, he could be a valuable end-of-the-rotation asset for the Red Sox. If not, his time in the MLB could be over and the Red Sox could hit the trade market for a pitcher.