Rafael Devers found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in spring training when he said he had no interest in being a regular DH for the Boston Red Sox. He found himself in the headlines again when he said he had no interest in playing first base after Triston Casas' season-ending injury. Devers might be comfortable as a DH now, but he clearly isn't thrilled with Red Sox management. Liam Hendriks joined Devers in the "dissatisfied with current role" club.
Hendriks feels as if he hasn't been used enough by manager Alex Cora, and that played a role in what turned out to be a frustrating outing for him on Wednesday. Hendriks gave up three runs on three hits while recording only two outs and wound up being the losing pitcher against the New York Mets. What he said postgame was pretty eye-opening.
Liam Hendriks confirms his frustrations with the Red Sox, as told to @alexspeier earlier today.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 22, 2025
"There was a couple games where it was like I was the last guy in the bullpen. It’s a new experience for me. I felt like I had been pitching well to get trusted in a couple of those…
Hendriks believes he's been the "last guy in the bullpen," on a couple of occasions, and it's been harder for him to adjust to a lesser workload. He's frustrated by this reality.
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Liam Hendriks is the latest Red Sox player to be frustrated with his role
To an extent, Hendriks is right. He entered the day tied for sixth among Red Sox pitchers in appearances since he was activated off the IL on April 19. Wednesday was his first appearance in five days and his third in the last 11 days. That isn't all that great in an eight-man bullpen. Still, though, for him to pitch more, he has to earn it. Nights like tonight won't help his cause, and he knows that well.
Liam Hendriks: "I feel like I haven’t been pitching enough. If you want me to be me, I’ve got to pitch. I’ll rust before I wear out, and that’s something. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to reward them (for) throwing me by getting guys out. If I’m not doing that, I don’t… https://t.co/JutbhYfhLl
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 22, 2025
Hendriks believes he'll be better with more consistent work, which might make sense, but it's hard for Cora to justify using him more when he struggles like this. Hendriks entered the night with six walks on his ledger in just 10.2 innings of work, and while he didn't walk anybody in this game, he got hit hard.
At the end of the day, while Hendriks was once a dominant closer, he hasn't been that guy since 2022, as he missed time while undergoing Cancer treatment and after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He might get back to that level, but he's going to have to show it before he's used as often as he might like. Hopefully, Hendriks can do that, as there are few players more fun to root for in the league.