Red Sox Hit Hard by Devastating Hunter Dobbins Injury Update originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Injuries have been a significant part of the Boston Red Sox’s season, and that continued on Friday. Hunter Dobbins returned to the mound from a right elbow strain Friday night, but his outing didn’t last very long.
Dobbins managed just five outs before leaving the game due to an injury. It happened while he was moving to cover first base. Although he made the play, he limped and had to exit the game with right knee pain.
Hunter Dobbins tore his ACL on this play
It was the second inning of his first start back from an elbow injury pic.twitter.com/HcBN4J77qj
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 12, 2025
“He said he felt it when he jumped for the throw and when he landed, so we’ll see,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game (h/t MassLive.com).
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Dobbins’ MRI this morning showed structural damage and a tear in the ACL of his right knee. Dobbins will likely be out for the season, which will be a big blow to the Red Sox’s pitching staff.
Bad news: The initial belief is Hunter Dobbins suffered a significant knee injury last night, potentially with ACL damage, sources say. Red Sox are still assessing the severity but the initial read is that this is no minor injury.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 12, 2025
The 25-year-old had put together a strong rookie season after not even making the Opening Day roster. The rookie pitcher held a 4.13 ERA over 61 innings and accumulated 45 strikeouts.
With Dobbins’ injury, right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts has been called up to take his place. Fitts has started eight games for the Red Sox in 2025 and holds a 4.28 ERA across 33.2 innings pitched.
The Red Sox’s recent hot streak has put them back squarely in the playoff hunt, and likely at least partial buyers at the MLB trade deadline. With Dobbins’ injury, you can add Boston to the list of teams in the market for another starting pitcher.
“The Dobbins injury also increases the need for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to add a rotation arm ahead of the July 31 trade deadline with the Red Sox aiming to buy after an eight-game winning streak propelled them into playoff position,” Cotillo wrote.
The Red Sox have two more games against the Tampa Bay Rays before the All-Star break. After winning the first two games of the series, Boston has passed the Rays in the division and will look for a series win Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Related: ESPN’s Jeff Passan: Red Sox Star ‘Strongly’ Linked to Padres
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.