The Red Sox’s bullpen was able to help lead Boston to a win without Koji Uehara on Wednesday night.
Which is good, because they might need to do that a lot going forward.
Uehara, who had been serving as the team’s interim closer in the absence of Craig Kimbrel, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a torn pectoral he suffered in Boston’s game Tuesday.
After Wednesday night’s 11-7 win over the San Francisco Giants, manager John Farrell said the team still had yet to determine a timetable for Uehara’s return. But later that night, Uehara provided his own update on Twitter.
軽いと言っても、１か月はかかるかと思います (^^;;
— KOJI UEHARA (@TeamUehara) July 21, 2016
We realize this probably doesn’t mean much to you, but notice the “1” in Uehara’s tweet: The 41-year-old right-hander expects to sit out one month. (The literal translation, per Google: “To say that light, I think that one month will take (^^;;”)
Koji sent another tweet earlier in the evening saying the results of his MRI revealed a “mild muscle strain,” but he’s hoping for “an early return” and “will do my best (in) rehabilitation.”
If Uehara does indeed sit out a month, Red Sox fans likely will see more of Brad Ziegler, whom Farrell tabbed as the team’s closer until Uehara and Kimbrel return. But Farrell also didn’t rule out using a left-handed option like Tommy Layne, and Matt Barnes also could be called upon after his encouraging showing Wednesday.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
