2022 Boston Red Sox Preview: Patience Required

Last year’s Boston Red Sox won 92 games, squeezing out a wild-card spot by one game over Toronto and two over Seattle. Beating the Yankees in the wild-card game was going to be enough to satisfy most Sox fans’ modest expectations. Then they surprised the Rays in 4 games, with some magic from Kike Hernandez, advancing to the ALCS to face Houston. It was a redemptive year for Boston after a disastrous couple of COVID-influenced seasons. Do fans even remember 2020 and the 60 game experiment? Either way, the Sox seem like they’re contenders again. But it will be an uphill climb all year in an utterly loaded American League East, with risers among other AL teams. Over the abbreviated offseason, the Angels, Mariners, Twins and Tigers all improved their rosters. Only Oakland, whose locker room has been cleared out like an old house on moving day, is decidedly worse.

What does that mean for this year’s Red Sox?

Ace Chris Sale is once again injured to begin the year. Sale sustained a stress fracture in his ribs a couple of weeks ago and he’s since been sent to the 60-day IL, meaning he’s shelved until June 6.

The rotation will be led by Nate Eovaldi, who came through with a terrific 2021 season. Eovaldi’s health (32 starts, 182 IP) was critical to the team’s success. After a shortened season in 2019 and the asterisk-that-was 2020, Eovaldi was dominant, allowing only 15 homers and amassing 195 strikeouts to only 35 walks. It’s fair to wonder if the health will be a factor again, as it is…