Garrett Cooper’s Red Sox debut painfully ended by injury

Garrett Cooper made his debut with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday when Boston opened a series against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park.

Cooper's debut, however, was cut short. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Cooper was hit in the right arm with a 94.8 mph sinker from Sean Hjelle.

The pitch left Cooper with a right wrist contusion, effectively ending his debut. Cooper finished the game 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. The 33-year-old will undergo additional imaging on his wrist to determine the extent of the injury. In the meantime, Bobby Dalbec replaced Cooper at first base.

Garrett Cooper's debut with Boston Red Sox was ended by a pitch

The Red Sox acquired Cooper in a trade with the Chicago Cubs after Triston Casas was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Cooper, who has experience as a first baseman and outfielder, was set to earn playing time while Casas recovered.

Boston added Cooper to the lineup almost immediately after trading for him. He slotted in as a first baseman and seventh in the batting order.

The Red Sox designated infielder Pablo Reyes for assignment to add Cooper to the active 26-man roster. Reyes struggled in 2023, but his positional versatility kept him valuable. He batted .183/.234/.217 with no home runs, five RBIs, and 19 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances in 2024. Reyes was out of minor-league options, so the Red Sox have one week to release him or attempt to pass him through waivers.

Cooper was an All-Star with the Miami Marlins in 2022, slashing .261/.337/.415 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 469 plate appearances. He had a career-high 17 home runs and 61 RBIs in 457 plate appearances last season. Still, he was designated for assignment by the Cubs after the emergence of Michael Busch in Chicago.

The Red Sox still managed to get by without Cooper. Boston recorded their sixth shutout of the season after a 4-0 blanking of the Giants. Boston has a 17-13 record, which puts them in third place behind the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.