Boston Red Sox minor league prospect Bryan Mata made an early exit after suffering a shoulder injury during a start with the Triple-A Worcester WooSox on Tuesday night.
Mata, 24, tossed a 1-0 fastball at 86.2 mph in the third inning, which caused some noticeable shoulder discomfort, causing the right-hander to leave after a meeting on the mound, alongside a team trainer. Walking off the field, Mata was tagged for six runs off six hits with three walks and five strikeouts through 2 1/3 innings tossed against the Rochester Red Wings.
And before the Red Sox took the field for their rubber match with the Atlanta Braves, Boston skipper Alex Cora provided the latest update on Mata, including his timetable expectation.
“It’s the lat, so we’re going to wait,” Cora told reporters Wednesday, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “It’s not as bad as we thought yesterday. He’s going to stay with the team. We’re going to re-evaluate on Monday when they come back. They put him on the (injured list), but hopefully it’s something that’s going to take a few weeks.”
Afterward, the WooSox placed Mata on the seven-day injured list.
Through seven starts in Worcester, Mata has gone 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA, reaching the fifth inning just twice while also allowing just one home run. Matta’s main issue: Walks. In each start made, Mata’s allowed at least three walks, which has snowballed into an ongoing trend that’s followed him. During his second to last start, on May 4, Mata allowed six walks and struck out just one in four innings.
The setback is just the latest for Mata, who in 2021, missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery.
Boston originally signed Mata out of Venezuela back in 2016.
