Red Sox reliever Hirokazu Sawamura has been dealing with soreness in his right hip and will not be available to pitch out of the bullpen in Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, manager Alex Cora said.
Per Cora, Sawamura first experienced discomfort in his hip during his most recent outing on Monday in which he worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in a a 5-3 win over the Marlins.
“There’s a few guys banged up, obviously,” Cora told reporters prior to Thursday’s contest at Fenway Park. “One of the guys that we’re paying attention to is Sawamura. He’s been sore from his last one, his right hip. So we got to see where he’s at. He’ll be down today.”
While the 33-year-old has been getting treatment on his sore hip this week, Cora did mention the possibility of a stint on the injured list for the right-hander if he is not ready to return to action in the coming days.
“We’ll see how he we feel about him in the upcoming days,” said Cora. “And if we have to make a move, maybe that’s the route we go.”
It turns out that the Red Sox did make a roster move to replenish their bullpen, though it did not involve Sawamura.
Boston recalled righty Brandon Brennan and optioned fellow right-hander Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday evening.
Under normal circumstances, Valdez would be required to spend at least 10 days with the WooSox, but as noted by OverTheMonster.com’s Matt Collins, “that restriction goes away if he replaces someone who hits the injured list.”
With all that being said, it’s still no sure thing Sawamura will end up on the injured list. That likely all depends on how the Japanese hurler respond to treatment.
“We’re not sure yet,” Cora said when asked if Sawamura is going to be placed on the IL. “We have to pay attention to his situation. He’s been down the last few, but he complained about it in the last outing. And he’s been getting treatment, but we have to know if he’s going to be available tonight, tomorrow, or when he’s going to be available, and we go from there.”
(Picture of Hirokazu Sawamura: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
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