Craig Kimbrel is expected to miss 3-6 weeks with a left knee medial meniscus tear the Red Sox closer suffered while shagging balls before Friday’s game against the Rays.
He had an MRI after the game, which revealed the extent of the damage, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday.
Kimbrel will undergo surgery Monday at Massachusetts General Hospital to repair cartilage in the left knee. The operation will be performed by Dr. Peter Asnis.
Part of Kimbrel’s pregame routine has always been to go in the outfield and shag fly balls.
“It’s something I’ve always done,’’ he said. “It’s great conditioning. Keeps my body good and loose. It keeps me athletic. I felt like if I didn’t go out there and shag every now and then I feel like you get a little lazy. If anything, it just keeps me athletic.’’
He was in the outfield Friday going about his pregame business as usual.
No fly balls came his way, but a ground ball did. He took a step to grab the ball, then heard his knee pop.
At first, he thought nothing of it.
“Didn’t really think it was anything serious,’’ he said.
“It would’ve made a lot more sense if I was running down a ball in the gap instead of just standing there taking a step for a ground ball hit at me.’’
It’s the first time Kimbrel has been on the disabled list in his seven-year career.
“It’s obviously frustrating,’’ Kimbrel said. “I’m kind of glad it’s nothing too serious. I mean, it’s something that I feel like we can go in, get it scoped out, get it cleaned up and the timetable, they’re saying three to six weeks. So I hope it’s more on the three weeks side, if not a little faster than that.’’
The Sox made a flurry of moves, calling up righthander Noe Ramirez from Triple A Pawtucket, adding utilityman Michael Martinez to the roster, and optioning infielder Marco Hernandez to Pawtucket.
They also were awaiting the arrival of newly acquired righthanded reliever Brad Ziegler. The Sox on Friday night traded minor leaguers Jose Almonte and Luis Alejandro Basabe to the Diamondbacks for Ziegler, adding depth to the bullpen.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that although the addition of Ziegler was timely considering the loss of Kimbrel, the timing was a coincidence and the deal was one he had been working on for a while.
“I think that’s the one thing Dave has proven over the course of his career, that the proactiveness or recognizing what our current needs are and what we anticipate we’ll need as we go forward, action is being taken,’’ Sox manager John Farrell said.
Kimbrel is the second Sox pitcher to suffer an injury shagging fly balls this season. In the spring, Eduardo Rodriguez tweaked his knee chasing down fly balls. Initially, he thought he would be fine. Ultimately, he missed 51 games.
Farrell said shagging fly balls always has been a part of Kimbrel’s routine.
“Honestly, this is an anomaly,’’ Farrell said. “What our players go through day in and day out traditionally in a game, we can’t put guys in bubbles. And yet, you get a little bit of a change in direction and this is what happens. So unfortunately, in this case, in Craig’s case, we’re going to miss him for a little bit.
“In Craig’s case, it is cardio work for him. There’s some guys that would term it as ‘power shagging,’ where you’re getting a good run in there. And that’s something that Craig has done his entire career. What transpired yesterday wasn’t because of something different or unique to yesterday’s activity.’’
With Kimbrel out, Farrell said Ziegler and Koji Uehara will split closing duties.
“We’ll work through this and we’ll identify those roles more specifically,’’ Farrell said.
Initially, Kimbrel thought the injury was something he could play through. But after considering where the Sox were in the season and the potential collateral damage he might do by pitching through it, he erred on the side of caution.
“I felt like I could go out there and pitch and kind of go through the pain,’’ Kimbrel said. “It’s something that I would say structural, something that if I could get past the pain, I could get out on the field and do it. But looking at where we are in the season, what could come of it, going out there trying to pitch through it might change my mechanics, might put some more stress on my arm or other places where we really don’t want to do that.’’
With 17 saves and a 3.55 ERA, Kimbrel was one of six Sox selected to the All-Star Game. It would have been his fifth trip, and his first since 2014. Instead, he’ll rehab with hopes of returning in August, when the Sox could been in the thick of the division race. He was confident he’ll be at full strength when he returns.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, once it gets taken care of, once we get it to the strength it needs to be, everything else will be fine,’’ he said. “I’m still going to be able to throw, play catch a little bit, so losing a few weeks, I don’t think it’s going to affect me arm-wise too much because I’m still going to be able to throw.’’
As for his pregame routine, he said it isn’t changing.
“If I would’ve done it shagging fly balls, maybe,’’ he said. “It was just unfortunate timing.’’
Holt day by day
Brock Holt is day to day after spraining his left ankle sliding into second base on Friday night.
Holt had played in just five games since returning from the disabled list. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion in May.
“He came in today better than we anticipated based on what took place on the field,’’ Farrell said. “He’s walking around a little bit more normally.
“I would doubt that he’s going to be available in these two games before the break, but not to the point that we need to put him on the disabled list. The four days over the All-Star break are going to be good for a number of guys with these temporary type of situations physically. So Brock is one of them.’’
Treatment for Tazawa
Farrell said he didn’t expect Junichi Tazawa will be placed on the disabled list. The setup man is sidelined with a sore right shoulder. “He’s going through some treatment,’’ Farrell said. “They haven’t indicated there’s a need for an MRI at this point. If that were to change we would certainly do that, but we’re not at that point yet.’’ . . . Sean O’Sullivan was placed on the disabled list with left knee tendinitis. O’Sullivan said it’s something he’s been battling since last April, when he went on the disabled list with a knee injury while he was with the Phillies. The move will make room on the roster for Ziegler . . . Blake Swihart, out since June 5 with a left ankle sprain, was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. He was expected to miss six to eight weeks . . . Working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Brandon Workman suffered a setback in a rehab start on Friday for Single A Lowell. He came out of the bullpen in the sixth inning and gave up two hits, two walks, and four runs without recording an out before leaving the field with a team trainer. Farrell said Workman suffered a strained oblique.
“An unfortunate temporary injury on his part, too,’’ the manager said.
