Clay Buchholz to Miss Next Scheduled Start Tuesday, Still Has Pain in Neck After Throwing Off Flat Ground

The original plan was for Clay Buchholz to return to the mound this Tuesday, but it appears that won’t happen.

Buchholz was supposed to throw 45 pitches off a mound Saturday as part of his rehab program from a neck injury, but instead he threw off flat ground, a sign that he won’t pitch Tuesday against the Rockies.

“We’re moving forward, just not at as quick a pace as I’d like,” Buchholz said, according to the Boston Herald. “Intensity went up today without any more soreness than yesterday or the day before. I guess if it’s time that it needs to help it heal, then we’re going to have to give it a little bit more than we were expecting to.”

Buchholz is eligible to be reactivated from the disabled list Monday. He has made just two starts since May 22 and hasn’t pitched since June 8. Manager John Farrell said Buchholz  will also need to make a rehab start before he returns to the Sox rotation.

“If there’s something that is there that is a distraction to you and feeling like you’re not 100 percent, then we’re not doing he or us any justice,” Farrell said.

Although the Red Sox aren’t considering this a setback, Buchholz said he still feels some pain while he throws.

With Buchholz out of the equation for the time being, Ryan Dempster will take the mound Tuesday, according to the Herald. As for when Buchholz could make his next start, the Herald points out that there won’t be an available slot in the rotation until Saturday.

Buchholz was 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts this season before heading to the DL.