The Boston Red Sox had a tumultuous offseason when rumors flew of a potential blockbuster trade in the works, led by comments made by chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.
Instead, the two biggest trades were with the Kansas City Royals, and neither of the two players received have appeared in a game for the Red Sox due to injuries.
While the acquisition of middle infielder Adalberto Mondesí for left-hander Josh Taylor stole the headlines, the Red Sox also traded pitching prospect Jacob Wallace for right-handed reliever Wyatt Mills in a separate deal.
After spending the first half of the season on the injured list with right-shoulder inflammation, it was announced that Mills would have a much longer road ahead.
"Red Sox announce Wyatt Mills underwent Tommy John surgery," The Globe's Alex Speier tweeted Wednesday. "The Sox had acquired him from the Royals in a trade this winter, sending minor league right-hander Jacob Wallace to Kansas City."
Mills has not been a standout in his first two seasons in the big leagues, posting a 6.21 ERA with a 37-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .280 batting average against and 1.55 WHIP in 42 career innings.
However, those numbers are inflated by his first cup of coffee in the majors, which did not go well. Last season he posted a 4.60 ERA with a 26-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .243 batting average against and 1.33 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings between the Seattle Mariners and Royals.
Mills has been far from spectacular but will be under team control through 2029 and could develop into a mid-game reliever due to his funky delivery and offspeed offerings.
In the interim, it's business as usual for Boston, as Mills has not been in the picture all season. The surgery is a tough blow for Mills but should not make much of any difference for the team itself, whose bullpen carousel has been ongoing all season long.
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