Boston’s bullpen is hurtin’ for certain.
The Red Sox placed reliever Junichi Tazawa on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a right shoulder impingement. The DL stint is retroactive to July 4, as Tazawa last pitched in a game July 3.
Right-hander William Cuevas has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill Tazawa’s spot on the 25-man roster. Cuevas has made three relief appearances for the Red Sox in two major league stints this season.
Tazawa’s injury has been a blow to Boston’s bullpen, especially with the Red Sox losing late-inning reliever Carson Smith to Tommy John surgery earlier this season and closer Craig Kimbrel to knee surgery last week. Smith is out for the season, and Kimbrel is expected to return in three to six weeks.
Tazawa told reporters over the weekend that he was dealing with shoulder fatigue but added it wasn’t the same condition that sidelined him for the tail end of the 2015 season. It’s unclear at this point how long he’ll be sidelined, but the injury certainly increases the importance of Boston acquiring reliever Brad Ziegler from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tazawa, who turned 30 last month, has a 3.62 ERA in 35 appearances spanning 32 1/3 innings this season. He has struck out 10.3 batters per nine frames.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Mayer/USA TODAY Sports Images
