Boston Red Sox: More questions for bullpen after Koji Uehara placed on DL

With Koji Uehara joining Craig Kimbrel on the DL, the Boston Red Sox bullpen is running low on options. What can they expect moving forward?

Injuries hit every team over the course of a season, and some clubs seem to suffer more than others. The Boston Red Sox have experienced their share of health woes in 2016, with most of them centering around the bullpen. They faced another setback on Wednesday, announcing that reliever Koji Uehara has been placed on the disabled list:

Right-hander Noe Ramirez has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill the open roster spot.

Uehara was forced to leave in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game in Boston against the San Francisco Giants. After recording the first out, the right-hander threw one pitch to Buster Posey, then began clutching his chest area. He was removed from the game and afterward said that he was feeling some muscle soreness. The pectoral strain was evidently enough to warrant a DL trip.

The news comes a week and a half after the Sox found out closer Craig Kimbrel would miss three-to-six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. While no team wants to lose its All-Star closer for any extended period of time, Boston knew it could rely on Uehara to take over the role. He picked up 72 saves for the Red Sox with a sparkling 1.86 ERA from 2013 to 2015.

The 41-year-old Uehara has had a rougher go of it in 2016, but he had been performing much better of late. In his last nine outings dating back to June 28, he has allowed two runs on six hits in 7.2 innings (2.35 ERA) while holding opponents to a .207 average. He has also converted each of his last five save opportunities.

With Uehara now on the shelf as well, the reins likely pass to the recently acquired Brad Ziegler. The former Diamondback has tossed three scoreless innings since joining the BoSox, allowing just one hit and striking out two in that span. He’s done a good job this year in general, managing a 2.61 ERA over 41.1 frames including his time in Arizona.

Fortunately for Boston, Ziegler is no stranger to ninth-inning duties either. He notched 30 saves for the D’backs last year and had gone 18-for-20 in save chances this season before being dealt to the Red Sox. He’s a veteran relief arm who’s proven durable (averaging 72 appearances from 2012-15) and effective (career 2.48 ERA and 1.22 WHIP) in his nine big league seasons. He doesn’t miss many bats (6.3 K/9) and issues a few too many walks (3.3 BB/9), but that hasn’t seemed to impede him much.

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But where does that leave the rest of the bullpen? Kimbrel is still several weeks away from a potential return, and it’s unclear if Uehara will need more than the minimum 15 days to recover. The Sox probably didn’t expect to lean on Ziegler so soon after trading for him.

On the bright side, Junichi Tazawa is expected to be back with the team on Friday. The righty has been out since July 4 with a right shoulder impingement. Before the injury, he had been spinning a 3.62 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 32.1 innings while fanning 10.3 batters per nine frames. A bullpen mainstay for the Red Sox over the past few seasons, Tazawa’s return should help alleviate some pressure.

The rest of the pen features some younger arms that have all turned in solid showings to his point: Matt Barnes (3.07 ERA in 44 IP), Heath Hembree (1.96 ERA in 36.2 IP) and lefty Robbie Ross (4.31 ERA, 2.70 FIP in 31.1 IP). There is also 31-year-old Tommy Layne, another left-hander, who has put up a 3.42 ERA over 26.1 innings of work.

This group will need to prepare for some higher-leverage innings in the weeks ahead as Kimbrel and Uehara work their way back. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe observes that most of the relievers at Boston’s disposal have fairly noticeable lefty/righty splits. Ziegler, Hembree and Barnes perform significantly better against right-handed hitters, while Ross has been more effective against lefties. Layne shows fairly even numbers against both.

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The Sox’s bullpen success moving forward will depend on manager John Farrell choosing the right reliever for the right situation. That’s part of virtually every MLB skipper’s job description, but for a team like the BoSox, who are just a half game behind the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East lead and aiming for a deep postseason run, it’s even more crucial.