Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox are trying to be cautious when it comes to his back injury, and it appears that caution may sideline Buchholz until after the All-Star break.
Buchholz felt lower-back discomfort when throwing on Tuesday, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
Manager Terry Francona spoke to reporters prior to Wednesday's game and said that the Sox are going to go slow when it comes to Buchholz's injury. He said that things would have to improve pretty quickly in order for him to start again before the All-Star break, which is July 11-14.
General manager Theo Epstein echoed Francona's sentiments, saying that the injury is something they have to knock out before the righthander returns to action.
Buchholz has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 19. He felt back stiffness earlier this season, which prompted Francona to give his hurler some extra rest between starts. Buchholz ended up landing on the DL, though, after the lingering back problems limited his June 16 start against the Tampa Bay Rays to five innings.
Buchholz is 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 starts this season.
