Red Sox starter Walker Buehler headed to IL with right shoulder bursitis

Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald on May 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — The Red Sox are once again down a starting pitcher, though potentially not for long.

Prior to Friday’s game Boston placed right-hander Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder bursitis and called up rookie Hunter Dobbins to fill his spot in the rotation. Dobbins is expected to start Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he doesn’t think Buehler will miss much time.

“We don’t think it’s that serious,” Cora said. “He’ll miss two starts and hopefully be back as soon as the days are over.”

Buehler is in his first season with the Red Sox after signing a one-year, $21.05 million deal this past offseason. The right-hander previously won two World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and through his first six starts in Boston he’d gone 4-1 with a 4.28 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.

Buehler had been trending upwards prior to the injury, posting a 2.59 ERA with three quality starts over his last four outings, but Cora announced Thursday in Toronto that the righty hadn’t bounced back well since his most recent start in Cleveland.

In addition to Buehler, Cora also said second baseman Kristian Campbell (rib discomfort) should be back in the lineup on Saturday, and that right-hander Richard Fitts (right pectoral strain) is doing much better and throwing up to 120 feet.

Outfielder Masataka Yoshida (right shoulder labral repair) is also back in Boston after having spent several weeks rehabbing in Fort Myers, Fla., and Cora said he underwent an MRI earlier Friday to check on his shoulder. The results of those tests were not yet available as of Friday afternoon.