Hendriks endorses Chapman as Red Sox closer: 'Been unbelievable'
Liam Hendriks believes teammate Aroldis Chapman has earned the right to close games for the Boston Red Sox to begin the season.
"I think it's been pretty well proven this spring training who deserves that spot after earning it all spring and that's definitely not me," Hendriks said, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.
"I've always said I wanted to win it, but it's not the end of the world if I don't. I'm going to go out there and give my best three outs, six outs, or whatever they need me to do. Things will shake out however they shake out, but if you want to talk about the guy who's looked the best in spring training, that’s Chapman."
Chapman, 37, has made a strong first impression since joining the Red Sox on a one-year, $10.75-million contract this offseason. The lefty has struck out 13 batters in 6 1/3 innings while allowing just three hits.
His blazing fastball has been as intimidating as ever.
"It's been unbelievable," Hendriks said of his new bullpen mate's performance. "He's been 97 to 100 mph pretty much every outing and he's looked crisp and has looked (a) little fantastic out there."
Chapman's 335 career saves rank 16th in MLB history. He recorded 14 with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024, but the last time he reached the 30-save plateau was in 2021 with the New York Yankees.
Hendriks, once a dominant closer himself, has struggled this spring after missing all of last season due to injury. He's allowed seven earned runs on 14 hits across his six appearances.
The righty was one of baseball's best relievers from 2019-2022 but missed most of the 2023 campaign while he battled cancer.
Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten are two other names that have been discussed as possible ninth-inning options in Boston.