The Boston Red Sox's struggling bullpen will be without its best reliever for the remainder of the season.
All-Star closer Koji Uehara will miss the rest of the 2015 campaign after being diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist.
Uehara was struck by a line drive off the bat of Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler on Friday. He managed to finish the play that ended the game but left the field in obvious pain.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
"I consider my whole body is a glove once I release the ball," Uehara said Friday after suffering the injury.
Initial X-ray's revealed no broken bones but a further assessment Monday led to the season-ending diagnosis.
The Red Sox bullpen ranks as one of the worst in the majors, sporting a 4.02 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 360 2/3 innings. Making matters worse, the team designated reliever Justin Masterson for assignment Sunday and manager John Farrell was hoping to limit Junichi Tazawa's workload over the next two months.
Uehara has been excellent this season, posting a 2.23 ERA and 25 saves over 40 1/3 innings to go with 47 strikeouts. He's under contract through next season and is expected to make a full recovery.