The Boston Red Sox shuffled around their bullpen with a roster move ahead of their series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Prior to the contest, Boston’s chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced that the Red Sox placed reliever Matt Strahm on the COVID-19 related injured list. Taking Strahm’s place on the active roster will be Hirokazu Sawamura, who is being recalled from Triple-A Worcester after being sent down on Saturday.
Strahm has been a useful, left-handed arm out of the bullpen for Red Sox manager Alex Cora . While Strahm, who has 3.68 earned run average in his first season with the club, played a part in Boston’ bullpen implosion in the series-opening loss to the Orioles on Friday by allowing three earned runs, he hadn’t surrendered a run in his previous nine appearances.
Strahm is just the latest Red Sox reliever to wind up on the IL. Boston also recently placed Hansel Robles on the IL due to back spasms.
Boston’s thinning bullpen will look to patch things together in their absence with the Red Sox finishing a five-game series on Monday night against the Orioles before hosting the Cincinnati Reds for two contests.
