JUPITER, Fla. — The Red Sox pitching staff already had received a blow early in spring training when starter Eduardo Rodriguez went down with a knee injury.
Yesterday, with just two weeks exactly left before the season opener, the bullpen took a hit.
Concern for the immediate and long-term future for key bullpen addition Carson Smith grew after the right-hander was forced to leave yesterday’s Grapefruit League game against the St. Louis Cardinals with “tightness” and “a little cramping” in his forearm. Smith had thrown just five pitches to start the seventh inning.