An already thin Boston Red Sox starting rotation will be without another arm with Walker Buehler going on the 15-day injured list.
Buehler, 30, was scheduled to start Friday against the Minnesota Twins but was placed on the IL after returning to Boston ahead of the team, which finished a series in Toronto on Thursday, to undergo tests on his right shoulder.
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Buehler “hasn’t bounced back the way we wanted” since his start last Saturday versus the Cleveland Guardians. In that game, he gave up three runs, seven hits and one walk in six innings. Buehler threw 87 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Tests revealed inflammation in Buehler’s right shoulder and he was placed on the IL with right shoulder bursitis. Buehler’s IL stint is retroactive to April 29, making him eligible to return May 14.
Cora told reporters neither he nor head athletic trainer Brandon Henry is worried that Buehler has suffered a serious injury.
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“Hopefully, it’s something where he misses two starts and he’s right back with us,” Cora said.
Buehler has made six starts for the Red Sox this season, compiling a 4.28 ERA and 4-1 record with 29 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. He signed a one-year, $21.05 million free agent contract with Boston after seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, the second such procedure of his career. Buehler returned last season, making 16 starts for the Dodgers with a 5.68 ERA in 75 1/3 innings. However, he was especially effective during the team’s World Series title run, registering a 3.68 ERA in four appearances (three starts), with 13 strikeouts in 15 innings.
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Boston began the season with Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito on the IL, but both have recently returned. Bello (2-0, 3.67 ERA) started Friday’s game in Buehler’s place. Taking Bello’s spot for Saturday will be Hunter Dobbins, just recalled from Triple-A Worcester. He compiled a 2.45 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 11 innings and a 2-0 record in two starts for Boston.
The Red Sox went into Friday two games behind the New York Yankees for second place in the American League East.
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