By DJ Harding
The Boston Red Sox signed Liam Hendriks to a two year contract through the 2025 season with a mutual option for 2026. Hendriks will wear number 31 and he completes the Red Sox 40 man roster.
Hendriks 35 is the reigning American League Comeback Player of the Year after being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December of 2022, a blood cancer that Hendriks believed he had while pitching in the 2022 season in which Hendriks posted a 2.81 ERA with 37 saves in 58 appearances for the White Sox.
Hendriks underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy which happened from January to April of 2023 before beginning a rehab assignment on May 5 and returning to the majors on May 29. He appeared in five games with the White Sox earning two wins and one save before being sidelined by an elbow injury.
Hendriks also won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards in July and in November he won the 2023 Tony Conigliaro Award presented by a Red Sox to a “Major Leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attitude of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademark of Tony C.”
Hendriks is also a two-time Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of theYear (2020-21), three-time American League All-Star (2019, 21-22) and a three-time All-MLB selection (2019-21).
The right handed pitcher owns a 3.82 ERA (276 ER/ 650.0 IP) with 116 saves and 727 strikeouts in 476 career games with the Minnesota Twins (2011-13), Kansas City Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2016-2020) and Chicago White Sox (2021-23).
Since the beginning of 2019 he leads American League relievers (min. 200IP) in WHIP (0.89), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.54), and walks per 9.0 innings pitched (1.77) and ranks second in ERA (2.32) and opponent OPS (.551).
Hendriks, a Perth, Australia native launched a campaign inviting fans to purchase specially designed “CLose Out Cancer” t-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation. He has been nominated for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award five times, including twice by the A’s (2017, ‘19) and three times by the White Sox (2021-23).
Hendriks is one of 22 pitchers on the Red Sox 40 man roster. The first Spring Training game for Boston taking place against the Northeastern Huskies this upcoming Friday on February 23rd with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM EST.