Red Sox's Latest Injury Update Brings Devastation For Promising 25-Year-Old

The Boston Red Sox got the best win of their season on Friday night, but it also came at a steep cost.

Twenty-five-year-old rookie pitcher Hunter Dobbins was on the mound for Boston against the Tampa Bay Rays, making his first appearance since Jun. 20, when he suffered a elbow injury against the San Francisco Giants. In only his second inning of work, disaster struck.

As he raced to cover first base on a ground ball by speedster Chandler Simpson, Dobbins stepped awkwardly on the bag while receiving the flip from first baseman Abraham Toro. He immediately came up hobbling, and his night ended abruptly.

On Saturday, the Red Sox got the worst possible news regarding Dobbins' outlook. MassLive's Chris Cotillo confirmed the rookie tore his ACL in his right knee. That leaves Boston without an arm they would have used often, whether in a starting or bullpen role, for the rest of the season.

"An MRI late Friday revealed structural damage to Dobbins’ right knee and the injury is a significant one, multiple sources said Saturday morning," Cotillo wrote. "The Red Sox announced that Dobbins has torn the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee. He is almost certainly out for the season. Righty Richard Fitts was called up to take his place."

Also per Cotillo, Richard Fitts is being called up from Triple-A to take Dobbins' roster spot, and presumably, his turn in the rotation.

Dobbins didn't enter spring training very high on the Boston depth chart, but injuries in March forced him into action quickly. He made his major league debut in the Red Sox's first home series of the year against the St. Louis Cardinals and picked up the win in a Sunday night primetime game.

On the whole, Dobbins finishes his rookie season with a 4-1 record, 4.13 ERA, 45 strikeouts, and a 1.28 WHIP in 61 innings pitched.

The highlight of Dobbins' season came in his back-to-back starts against the New York Yankees in early June. He was suddenly the top story in the New York market when he said he'd retire rather than playing for the Yankees, then backed it up with consecutive wins over the then-first place Bronx Bombers, pitching six shutout innings in the latter outing at Fenway Park.

Dobbins has a bright future ahead in the Red Sox organization, but now, the team has to figure out what his absence means and decide if pitching is a bigger priority at the Jul. 31 trade deadline.