The Red Sox’s Adam Duvall, one of the hottest bats in baseball right now, has been diagnosed with a distal radius fracture in his left wrist, which he injured in yesterday’s game. He will be placed on the 10-day injured list and is expected to miss several weeks of action. The good news is, he will not require surgery. However, this is a tough hit for Duvall as he was hoping for a healthy, productive campaign to line him up for a multi-year deal next winter. Duvall is a free agent after the season, having signed a one-year, $7 million contract in the winter.
Duvall, who had season-ending surgery on the same wrist last year, has been the Red Sox’s top hitter this season, opening the season with a .455/.514/1.030 batting line and four home runs in 37 trips to the plate. While it’s unlikely that he will be able to continue on at that pace, there were some encouraging improvements in his approach this season. His 25.6% chase rate on pitches of the plate is the lowest of his career, and his 85.5% contact rate is way above his career mark of 74.2%.
With Duvall sidelined, it will be up to Rob Refsnyder and Raimel Tapia to man things in center field. Refsnyder started tonight’s game in center field with the Sox facing left-hander Jalen Beeks. Enrique Hernandez, if moved back to the outfield from the infield, would be another option in center.
It remains to be seen how quickly Duvall will be able to return but he could still have a chance to reach the $500K bonuses for each of 350, 400, 450, and 500 plate appearances, as well as a $1MM bonus upon reaching 550 trips to the plate, which are part of his contract. Overall, the Red Sox will dearly miss Duvall’s hitting prowess during his absence.
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