Craig Kimbrel To Have Knee Surgery, Red Sox Will Be Fine

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel will miss three-to-six weeks as he will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. The 28-year-old fireballer hasn’t had his best season up to this point and it has been disappointing to watch.

While Kimbrel is sidelined the BoSox should be fine with Koji Uehara and the newly-acquired Brad Ziegler sharing closer duties. Boston currently sits two games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the American League East.

In 34 games and 33.0 innings this season, Kimbrel has posted a 1-3 record, with 17 saves in 19 chances. He has a 3.55 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, with 50 strikeouts, 15 walks and 21 hits allowed. He hasn’t been “bad” he just hasn’t been as dominant as he usually is.

While he hasn’t blown a save since May 28, Kimbrel did have a blow-up on July 5, when he allowed four earned runs against the Texas Rangers without recording an out. That said, in May and June he was excellent, allowing just four earned runs in 19 appearances.

The Red Sox spent lavishly to bring Kimbrel to town over the winter. They surrendered four prospects to the San Diego Padres in a trade to acquire him. Two of those four youngsters – Manuel Margot and Carlos Asuaje – will play in the Futures Game this weekend. It’s not out of line for Red Sox fans to expect Kimbrel to perform on an All-Star level when he returns.

In the meantime the Red Sox won’t be missing much while he’s gone. If he returns healthy hopefully we’ll see the old, overpowering Kimbrel once again.