5:40pm: The Red Sox have now made it official. Buehler goes on the IL with right shoulder bursitis, while Dobbins has been recalled.
4:35pm: The Red Sox are placing right-hander Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right shoulder, manager Alex Cora announced (link via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). The club is hopeful that it’ll only be a minimum stint for the right-hander, who’d been slated to start tomorrow. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported earlier in the day that righty Hunter Dobbins is expected to get tomorrow’s start. He made his big league debut last month and has looked sharp through two MLB starts.
Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05MM deal with the Red Sox in the offseason, matching the value of the qualifying offer which the Dodgers neglected to put forth when he reached the open market. It was a relatively sizable bet on a pitcher who looked lost for much of the 2024 season — his first full year back from Tommy John surgery — before some short but memorable postseason heroics for Los Angeles.
So far, Buehler’s tenure with the Red Sox has produced pedestrian results. He’s sitting on a 4.28 ERA with better strikeout and walk rates than he had in 2024 but also a career-low 93.5 mph average fastball. And while his 20.7% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate are indeed improvements on last year’s marks (18.6 K%, 8.1 BB%), that strikeout rate is a far cry from his peak 29.2% when he was pitching like a bona fide ace and Cy Young contender.
Buehler heads to the injured list just days after Boston finally got right-hander Lucas Giolito healthy and into a regular season game. Giolito required UCL surgery last spring and missed all of the 2024 season and the first month of 2025 as a result. The Sox have also been without Kutter Crawford (knee) all year and have only received two starts from Brayan Bello.
Even with all the injuries, Red Sox starters rank 14th in the majors with a solid 3.91 ERA. Ideally, Buehler will rejoin the starting staff in a couple weeks, but if he requires a bit of a lengthier stay, Dobbins has looked up to the task of filling in. The 2021 eighth-rounder pitched 125 2/3 innings of 2.61 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A last year. In 11 major league frames this season, he’s held opponents to three earned runs (2.45 ERA) on 11 hits and a pair of walks with 11 strikeouts. In Dobbins’ most recent Triple-A start, he held the Mets’ top affiliate to a run four hits and two walks with three punchouts across six innings.
You know what’s good for a hurt shoulder?
What?
Icy hot patches?
Retirement
He hasn’t been bad this season but those glory days and healthy days are over.
Just like what happened to Dreifort
Pedestrian results is misleading. He’s been very good after his first two starts.
I’ve been watching walker since his college days. Never ever count out Walker Buehler.
Tang – Maybe you missed it, look at the teams he faced. Quality of competition is a huge factor.
Buehler… Buehler… Buehler… Buehler…
“It was a relatively sizable bet on a pitcher who looked lost for much of the 2024 season” — Steve is 100% correct, it was a massive risk.
Meanwhile …..
Pivetta 1.78 ERA 0.821 WHIP $1.75M
Eovaldi 2.11 ERA 0.773 WHIP $22M
Imanaga 2.77 ERA 1.128 WHIP $13.25M
Lugo 3.07 ERA 1.045 WHIP $15M
Wacha 3.38 ERA 1.250 WHIP $18M
And the reigning NL Cy Young pitcher could have been pitching for only $20M this year.
I want to know all of their ERA at the end of the season.
fred – Sure thing!
Sale 2.38
Lugo 3.00
Imanaga 2.91
Wacha 3.35
Eovaldi 3.80
Not including Pivetta because he was with the Red Sox last year.
No, at the end of this year
he understood what you meant. FPG is trying to gas light you.
Fred – Nobody can predict a player’s ERA 5 months ahead of time. That’s a silly question bro.
he didn’t ask a question. Stop gaslighting bro.
lol, you know what I meant goofball
In the end so much is a crapshoot… I remember a lit of people clamoring about Jordan Montgomery… I’d bet they’re glad we didn’t get him now.
GaSox – I wouldn’t say it’s a crapshoot, but definitely I’d say there’s no guarantees of health for any pitcher no matter how young or healthy they’ve been.
On another note, I’m so happy to see Cora FINALLY listen to me about bunting and advancing the runners. Hamilton got a bunt base hit and then stole second and third base. He even tried to bunt in his next at bat. Rafaela had a nice sac bunt that resulted in a run. Took Cora long enough to realize it, even DOB said the other day “Other teams bunt a lot but the Red Sox never do”.
The Twins suck so bad on the road, I expect a Sox sweep this weekend. I mean come on, Gasper and his .488 OPS as the DH? Bride and his .437 OPS pinch hitting? Definitely a sweep this weekend.
Boston took the bait based on an overblown 3 up, 3 down 9th inning against the 7,8 & 9 hitters in the Yanks lineup.
It’s a one year contract and he’s been fine.
Tang – FACT: 5 of his 6 starts were against teams that are among the 10 worst offenses in MLB.
Every year this team starts off with a weak schedule and gives people false hope.
And we all know how it’s ended every year since 2022.
Talk about Pavlov’s dog! LOL!!
They are still MLB offenses. You have no point.
Just because he’s performed against lower tier teams doesn’t mean he hasn’t figured it out. Results are results. And please don’t tell me you wish they signed pivetta instead. His start will not be maintained.
@’Tang It
Your idea, and my idea of fine, apparently differ a bit. As a Dodger fan, I watched him his entire career. He’s merely a shell of what he was. A back end starter in today’s game. If those types are getting 20 mil a year, then so be it. Not my money.
Connor Wong has been activated from the IL and Blake Sabol has been optioned to AAA.
As Kevin Bacon said, all is well. I see this as a simple little break for WB to keep him fresh and an opportunity for Dobbins to continue to build his stock.
Now, Whit and Slaten need some quick redemption appearances. Wth was that garbage in Toronto?!? Holy buckets those were some shocking endings.
We press on. “Let’s go Bello, clap, clap clap-clap-clap”
Of the two I’m less worried about Whitlock, not that I’m worried a out either mind you.
Still, Slaten’s justification for one of his collapses was needing to go offspeed because he leaned on the FB so heavily early in the AB.. the answer of course, is, don’t burn your fastball early in the count to where the hitter is familiar with it.
GaSox – So what you’re saying is you want Sox pitchers to actually pitch? ;O)
I’m not a firm believe in Slaten just yet, but I am beginning to think this will finally be Bello’s breakout season. I know it’s been only a couple games and I’m usually overoptimistic, but so far I really like what I see from him.
What I didn’t like hearing the other week is that crochet wants to be a hurler and not a pitcher.
But yes, I’d like to see the staff get back to more than just power domination and save they energy/bodies by being pitchers, not hurlers
FPG
I agree with you on Bello. It’s his time to put it all together. He is a veteran now and is building on last seasons 2nd half success. Any pressure he may have felt has probably subsided. He’s experienced now (opening day starter last year) and I expect him to settle into a solid # 2 starter. Has to keep his emotions in check when things are spiraling or he feels like he’s getting squeezed.
So who should really be surprised.
Fever Pitch Guy: “it was a massive risk”
==============
One year contracts such as Buehler’s are not a massive risk. Teams often need to overpay if they want a one year deal. All those pitchers you listed are older and on multi-year deals making them higher risk than Buehler with the exception of Imanaga. The reigning NL Cy Young winner currently has an ERA higher than Buehler’s.
And now Casas is down. Crap, looks really really bad.
Yep, that didn’t look very good.
How about Rocket in the booth?
swan – It’s awesome seeing Roger in the booth and hearing what he has to say, he’s such an interesting and engaging guy. Did you hear him talk about his first 20K game? Good stuff!
I know there are some bitter fake fans who don’t like him, but I don’t give a damn about his Yankee ties. He was at his best in a Sox uniform and those 13 years were so enjoyable for Sox fans because of him. Damn shame he was forced to leave.
Just don’t give him side eye or stink eye. It triggers the roid rage.
FPG. Clemens was great in the booth. I think the steroid allegations are what the fans hold against him even more than playing for the Yankees. He did sign with the Bluejays and not the Yankees as a free agent unlike Johnny Damon. Many Sox fans cannot stand Damon because of this. He was phenomenal for the Sox , we don’t win in 2004 without Damon.
Its time to let the steroids thing go…
By all means keep him out of thr HOF. I support banning those who proven beyond a doubt used should never be in.
But, come on, back in the 70s you had clubhouses with bowls of amphetimines sitting out for players
Fever- ugh! that was a very nasty spill. Casas can’t seem to catch a (good) break at all.
will this lead to Roman Anthony getting the call?
Wong is back. He has played 1B. So, I’m guessing it’s Romy and Wong at 1B for now.
That was brutal waiting for word but that looked like a knee blowout.
I think we might see Grissom up he’s hitting at AAA and did play some first if I remember right. There is absolutely zero percent chance they use Anthony at first or Mayer and it’s crazy to even think it.
They would try Devers at first before they would try Anthony or Campbell and I don’t think Devers can play first.
Grissom would be a very interesting add at 1B. The team would get even more athletic as well.
Sure, why not. It’s not like we’re losing a lot of offense w Casas’ injury.
Vaughn Grissom has played 1B this year in the minors. He’s the most likely candidate to be called up
Good. I didn’t know that about Grissom. He has been hitting well at AAA.
smk – Yeah let’s hope it’s not that serious. If it is, everyone wants to see Devers try first base. Loumer talked about it tonight too. Nothing would surprise me, they may even go outside the organization like they did last year.
Fever. I don’t like the idea of thrusting Devers in their cold mid season. He’s finally showing signs of adjusting to DH duties. I’d hate to screw that up by tossing him across the diamond.
GA: I think Raffy will stay healthy and productive at DH and they won’t mess with that.
GaSox – That’s a very valid point. It’s certainly not an ideal situation, but if it re-energizes him and allows Yoshida to DH then the team is far better for it … right?
Devers seems to be energized lately though doesnt he? Would you risk wearing those shoulders back down and having things drop off for expediency?
I think a raffy to 1b longer term is a 2026 ST conversation depending how things shake out, honestly.
Casas has been dreadful. Maybe they teach Anthony to play 1B?
As for Walker, it was a good roll of the dice. Maybe he comes back and gives you 20 starts.
He’s look solid lately.
I really think it’s a bad idea to ask someone to learn a new position while playing in MLB, especially a rookie.
Suit,not to mention Anthony is much more valuable as an OFer
Casas will be fine. Just a slow start in March.
Of course that’ll depend on the left leg knee issue from tonight’s game
Narrator “He wasn’t fine.”
Anthony is about to be called up. Raphaela is running out of rope and could force the team to send him down and work it out. His ABs are tough to watch.
Or he’ll just become their super-utility player.
You can take the man off the Dodgers, but you can’t take the Dodgers out of the man.
Anyone else feel that “disabled list” was much more accurate?
Can’t say I’m surprised