Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara suffered an apparent pectoral injury Tuesday night during the club's game against the San Francisco Giants.
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Uehara's Status Uncertain After Quick Exit
Wednesday, July 20
Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reported Red Sox manager John Farrell noted the injury is believed to be a strained pectoral muscle. He also passed along comments from the veteran reliever through his translator, C.J. Matsumoto, after his seven-pitch outing.
"It's just some soreness that I feel," Uehara said. "I thought it was just soreness. Muscle soreness. I'm just praying that it's not that serious."
Uehara registered a 1.86 ERA and 72 saves across his first three seasons with the Red Sox. The team still couldn't pass up the opportunity to add flamethrower Craig Kimbrel during the offseason, but his trip to the disabled list had pushed Uehara back into the closer role.
The 41-year-old reliever's health has been an issue in recent seasons. He was limited to 43 appearances in 2015 before a wrist injury ended his season early. He also missed time during spring training this year while dealing with general soreness.
If he misses further action, the Red Sox will probably use a wide-ranging committee approach to fill the high-leverage situations. Robbie Ross Jr. and the recently acquired Brad Ziegler figure to see the most work in those key spots for the time being.
Uehara should slide back into his usual spot in the pecking order once he's back to full strength. The Red Sox will hope he can avoid further setbacks, because the bullpen loses valuable depth when he's not available.
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