The Boston Red Sox lost another outfield option at a critical point in the season. Boston placed Eli White on the injured list Friday with a right foot ligament injury, just five days after Ceddanne Rafaela landed on the IL with a right quad strain.
White got hurt Tuesday crashing into the center-field fence during a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, his foot bending awkwardly after making contact with the grated portion of the Fenway Park wall. He missed Wednesday’s game while undergoing MRI and CT scans.
Tracy Confirms White Likely Done for the Season
Manager Chad Tracy addressed White’s status before Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. He confirmed the outfielder was using crutches and wearing a walking boot. Tracy stopped short of giving a definitive recovery timeline. Still, he acknowledged White is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Boston entered Friday with only 15 games remaining. White had just taken over as the primary center fielder, starting six straight games since Rafaela’s injury. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline for outfield depth, White had hit .276 with a home run, three doubles and 12 RBIs across 27 games with Boston.
How the Red Sox Are Adjusting in the Outfield
With both of its top center field options out, Boston turned to Jarren Duran for Friday’s game. He slid into center while Roman Anthony moved from designated hitter to left field. Duran is expected to share center field duties going forward with Nate Eaton. Eaton was recalled earlier when Rafaela first went down, but had appeared in just one game since returning.
To fill White’s roster spot, Boston recalled infielder Anthony Seigler from Triple-A Worcester. Seigler has already appeared in 48 games for the Red Sox this season, batting .250 with a .737 OPS, 12 doubles and 13 RBIs. That gives Tracy added infield flexibility, even if it doesn’t directly solve the outfield shortage.
Moving Duran to center comes with its own tradeoff. It pushes Anthony into left field and leaves Boston with fewer defensive options late in games.
Final Word for the Red Sox
Boston fell to Kansas City 3-2 on Friday, its third straight loss after a five-game winning streak. That dropped the team to 80-68 and 8 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The bigger concern is the wild card race. Boston’s cushion over the Cleveland Guardians has shrunk to five games.
The Red Sox are still in a strong position with 14 games left. But losing a second center fielder in the span of a week, right in the middle of a rough stretch, adds real complexity to how Boston navigates the final push toward October.
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