Red Sox’s Hirokazu Sawamura Available Vs. Rays, Reportedly ‘Avoided Serious Injury’

The Boston Red Sox removed Hirokazu Sawamura from their game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday out of precaution.

The reliever threw seven consecutive balls with two wild pitches, subsequently being pulled and diagnosed with right elbow tightness.

In manager Alex Cora’s pregame media availability Tuesday, he shared Sawamura was doing well after receiving treatment and throwing in the outfield at Fenway Park. He’s available for Boston on Tuesday as they start a series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to a report from MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, things could have been a lot worse.

“Red Sox have gotten positive news on Hirokazu Sawamura,” Cotillo wrote on Twitter. “Appears he avoided a serious arm injury.”

That’s great news for Boston, who have benefitted from strong relief all season.

Sawamura, at 33, finished his most recent relief outing with a 3.05 ERA in 41 1/3 innings pitched over 42 games. He’s been a valued member of the Red Sox bullben, and now more than ever, with a series against their first-place division rival, they need Sawamura healthy.