April 19, 2025, 02:03 PM ET
BOSTON – Liam Hendrix knew the number as if his career was saved or an ERA: 680 days.
The 36-year-old right-hander returned to the Major League roster with the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, in a position to appear in his first big league appearance since June 9, 2023.
“It feels like at least a thousand people,” Hendrix said with a smile in the middle of the clubhouse. “It feels much longer than that. It was a long and painful journey to get here.”
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Hendrix was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2022, and the three-time All-Star returned to the mound on May 29, 2023.
After the season, he was named AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023.
Hendriks appeared in six Minor League Habiri in August last year, and three times this spring. The Red Sox activated him from Saturday’s 15-day injury list, selecting the right-handed Hunter Dobbins as Triple A Worcester.
Hendrix, a popular player known for his charity, including providing T-shirts to team employees at last season-ending staff party, questioned his own abilities during spring training.
“Even when I was 96 (mph) in the spring, they had a swing that was way too comfortable. “It was really a mental struggle to understand what the difference was.”
Auckland in 2019 and White Sox all-star Hendrix in 2021 and ’22, couldn’t understand what he was doing after the surgery.
“I said all the data is similar, but it’s really hard to define what made me when it comes to pitching,” he said. “One of the things that gave me the ability to do well was jumping to the fastball and then doing that jump to where it plays a little and rides everyone.”
When he was sidelined, his wife Christy pushed him and returned to the field.
“A lot of that just shows up every day and make sure you make it a little better,” he said before joking. “And also, the silly from my wife is still in Illinois. That was also one of the motivational factors.”
