Club recalls right-handed pitcher Phillips Valdez from Triple-A Worcester
BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today placed right-handed pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura on the 10-day injured list due to right tricep inflammation (retro to July 20). To fill Sawamura’s spot on the active roster, the club recalled right-handed pitcher Phillips Valdez from Triple-A Worcester.
Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.
Sawamura, 33, last appeared on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, retiring his only batter faced to end the seventh inning. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.87 ERA (12 ER/37.2 IP) in 38 appearances this season, his major league debut. He has stranded 19 of 22 inherited runners, including each of his last nine. Among major league rookie relievers in 2021, Sawamura ranks sixth in strikeouts (44), tied for seventh in appearances (38), and 11th in innings pitched (37.2).
Valdez, 29, has made 20 appearances for the Red Sox this season, posting a 4.24 ERA (11 ER/23.1 IP) with 21 strikeouts. In 11 games since being optioned to Worcester on June 10, the right-handed pitcher has a 3.38 ERA (4 ER/10.2 IP), allowing just one earned run in 8.1 innings pitched over his last eight appearances. A native of the Dominican Republic, Valdez is 4-1 with a 3.69 ERA (29 ER/69.2 IP) in 55 career relief appearances for the Texas Rangers (2019) and Red Sox (2020-21).
