The Boston Red Sox have had rotten injury luck this season, losing their two best players, Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, for multiple months.
Now, the Red Sox will also be without their new trade acquisition, Curtis Mead, for the foreseeable future.
Boston acquired Mead from the Washington Nationals on Sunday in exchange for Connelly Early, a promising young starting pitcher. The Red Sox were hopeful that Mead, 25, would continue his breakout season in Boston and be a key member of their lineup for years to come.
Unfortunately, that will have to wait. Mead was drilled by a pitch in his second at-bat with his new team on Monday. While his injury was initially not believed to be serious, he was placed on the injured list on Tuesday with a broken wrist.
While Mead may be able to return at some point in September or during the playoffs, it's also possible his season is over.
The Red Sox recalled Nick Sogard from Triple-A to replace Mead, but now they're back to square one in terms of their lineup. Fortunately, there are still a few days before the Aug. 3 trade deadline for Craig Breslow to potentially find another bat and upgrade Boston's lackluster offense. He is reportedly looking for a shortstop.
Losing Mead is a devastating blow for the Red Sox at a critical point in the season, similar to when Anthony went down last September and missed the playoffs. Time will tell if Boston fans see Mead again this season and if so, what kind of impact he'll be able to provide.