Red Sox Thought Brian Johnson’s Elbow Injury Was Season-Ending, But It’s Not

Brian Johnson and the Boston Red Sox appear to have dodged a bullet.

The left-handed reliever/spot starter was placed on the injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation. Johnson felt discomfort in the elbow the day before when he allowed seven runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The words “elbow inflammation” are about the two worst words any pitcher ever could hear. And the Red Sox, like Johnson, initially feared the worst.

But before Tuesday’s home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed that Johnson’s injury isn’t as bad as he and the team originally thought.

“He went through tests, it’s not as bad as we thought it would be,” Cora told reporters, via NBC Sports Boston. “So now it’s just a matter to plan a map and go from there. At one point we thought, you know, that it was the end of the season and that’s not the case, so they’re gonna talk about it today what the plan is gonna be and we’ll get back to you with that.”

Cora did not reveal a timetable for Johnson’s return, but you can bet the Red Sox will be extra cautious with the veteran lefty.

Johnson, 28, is 7-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 48 appearances (19 starts) across parts of four seasons in Boston.