BOSTON — Based on his history, Red Sox starter Walker Buehler knows the difference between a serious arm injury and a minor setback. After some initial concern about what he has been feeling in his shoulder throughout the last few weeks, he’s glad his current ailment falls in that latter category.
Buehler, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday due to bursitis in his pitching shoulder, said Sunday morning that he only expects to miss two or three starts before returning to Boston’s rotation. That his absence will be short is re-assuring for the ex-Dodger, who acknowledged he was initially pretty concerned with the discomfort, which he said began during his April 15 start against the Rays in Tampa.
“It felt very similar to the only other shoulder thing I’ve dealt with in my career, which wasn’t a very good thing and wasn’t a publicly known thing,” said Buehler, who declined to go into further detail on his previous shoulder injury. “It was a Grade 3 tear of something. I was just concerned that it was something more than it was and luckily it wasn’t.
“I’m a guy that has pitched through a lot of things. The fact it was just bursitis and I had to go on the IL is embarrassing for me in some ways. I think there are certain things you have to check off during the week to be able to go and start a major league game and I wasn’t able to do those things. All in all, I think it’s the right thing. Hopefully, I miss two or maybe a third start, but it shouldn’t be anything major.”
Buehler, who has had Tommy John surgery twice (in 2015 and again in August 2022), also missed time as a Dodger due to a microfracture in his rib, hip inflammation and issues with blisters. The shoulder, though, has never been a serious issue. Elbow and shoulder soreness is normal for pitchers, especially early in a season, but Buehler said he knew this instance represented something a bit more when he was unable to throw “through the ball” in recent starts and side sessions. He has made three starts since first feeling the issue in Tampa and said it became too much to push through when he couldn’t bounce back from his last outing in Cleveland last Saturday.
“Not being able to play catch for a day or two is one thing, but we got into Day 3 and 4 and I couldn’t throw the ball right,“ Buehler said. ”I wanted to make sure nothing structurally was in there, and then obviously there’s a little bursitis. In terms of shoulder stuff, should be as minor as it’s gonna be.
“There’s things you just don’t push through,” he added.
Buehler’s injury comes at a time when he has hit his stride for Boston. The righty was tagged for nine earned runs in his first two starts (8.68 ERA) but has settled in nicely over the last few weeks, posting a 2.59 ERA while recording 22 strikeouts in 24 ⅓ innings over his last four starts. While the shoulder issue hasn’t prevented Buehler from pitching well, he knows it’s something that’s worth addressing now. He was clear the injury is something he’d pitch through if it was the postseason.
“My past four, I’ve been pretty happy,” Buehler said. “Obviously, not the time that you want to go in the IL, when you’re feeling pretty good. At the end of the day, I’m here in Boston to play in October and I’m trying to get this stuff put to bed now so I can progress through the season. It’s the right idea. It’s not something I want to deal with for two or three or four months and try and keep dragging myself out there. I’d rather clean it up and hopefully build on what we have been doing.”
Buehler had an MRI in recent days and received an injection to calm down the bursitis. He was shut down from throwing for three days but expects to be able to play catch Monday, when the team is off. If all goes well, he could continue mound work later in the week and start ramping up for a potential return on or around May 14, when he’s first eligible to be activated.
“The results of my MRI and the quality of my shoulder is still really good,“ Buehler said. ”It’s just a little bit more bursitis than I’ve always had. The joint just starts moving differently and things feel weird and press on different stuff.”