Liam Hendriks might no longer make an instantaneous impact with the Red Sox, however that doesn’t mean he won’t subsequently be a fan favored in Boston.
The Red Sox on Monday reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with Hendriks, a 35-year-old reliever who underwent Tommy John surgical procedure remaining August and consequently is slated to leave out a excellent chunk of the 2024 season.
It’s a pass that should pay off for Boston down the stretch or, more likely, in 2025. And it’s also a move fans should embrace, as Hendriks, a three-time All-Star, is very effortless to root for given his talent, his personality and his journey.
Hendriks used to be the American League Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2021, two seasons in which he finished ninth and eighth, respectively, in AL Cy Young voting. His career turnaround commenced in 2015, when the Toronto Blue Jays converted him into a full-time reliever. But it actually took off upon turning into the Oakland Athletics’ closer in 2019, and he maintained that momentum in the course of his first two seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
Still, the on-field success is simply a small phase of Hendriks’ story, which took a big detour in January 2023 when he introduced he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks underwent chemotherapy to combat the Stage four ailment and miraculously back to the majors May 29, finally being named AL Comeback Player of the Year.
That struggle made the relaxation of his baseball odyssey — which started in Australia and blanketed being designated for undertaking four instances in much less than a yr in 2013-14 — appear trivial with the aid of comparison. But he approached cancer with the same depth he approaches huge league hitters.
“I favor to be the great model of myself as I can be,” Hendriks advised ESPN earlier than returning to the big leagues closing May. “Everything I do is trying to beat something. Whether it’s beat the opponents into oblivion or … beating the date that I suppose I wanted to be back at. That is my purpose at all times. Beating the whole thing is my purpose at all times.”
When Hendriks arrived in Charlotte to start his rehab mission with the White Sox, he rocked a shirt that read, “STRUCKOUT CANCER,” a becoming cloth wardrobe desire for a pitcher who’s lengthy worn his heart on his sleeve.
And whilst Hendriks was cognizant of the work required to make his return a reality, the uphill climb in no way inhibited his time-honored disposition.
“He was once his generally magnanimous self — Hendriks summoned a unique food truck to the ballpark nearly each and every day and presented to buy lunch for his teammates and opponents — and made time for these who sought recommendation or selfies,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote.
Hendriks acquired the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2023 ESPYS in July. Now, he almost certainly has a new viewpoint on baseball and on lifestyles — possibly even greater so as he works again from a serious elbow procedure.
Throughout it all, Hendriks has remained a character, his on-field ardour and his off-the-field philanthropy never taking a backseat.
He’s exactly the kind of participant Red Sox fans tend to gravitate towards, and so don’t be surprised if the fit proves ideal in the long run.
