The Red Sox had another starting pitcher placed on the injured list, and luckily for Boston, Michael Wacha wants to come back as soon as possible.
The right-hander is coming off an impressive rehab outing with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on Thursday at Polar Park. Wacha pitched 4 2/3 innings as part of a combined no-hitter for the WooSox. Wacha struck out eight Durham Bull batters, and he spoke postgame about his eagerness to return to Boston.
"I'm ready to be back there for sure," Wacha told reporters, as transcribed by MassLive's Matt Vautour. "I was pretty pleased with how the ball was coming out and the command. Getting ahead of guys and if I didn’t get ahead of guys I was able to make a quality pitch to get back into the count. Oso (catcher Ronaldo Hernandez) was calling a good game back there, and I was just trying to fill it up."
Wacha was placed on the IL on July 8 due to right shoulder inflammation. Thursday's outing was his first since being placed on the IL, and he updated the status of his shoulder while revealing how much he wants to rejoin the Red Sox on their quest for a playoff spot.
"I was pretty happy with how I felt shoulder-wise and how it was coming out," Wacha said.
Wacha added: "I hate not being able to be out there and compete with those guys. We've had a little tough stretch there. The month of July really wasn’t our month. We got a couple months for us to be able to turn it on and make a little push at this thing. We're right in striking distance to grab one of those wild card spots. We know it's up to us to play good ball, pitch the ball well, play good defense and have some timely hitting."
For Boston fans wondering what the status of the TV is after Chris Sale's blowup, Wacha provided an update on that, too.
"I did see the infamous TV," Wacha said. "Looks like it's back running."
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has not given official word on when Wacha will return to Boston, but fans can be optimistic about his arrival after the right-hander's outing.
