Sam Galanis
Contributing Writer

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

It all happened very quickly. Buchholz went out to the bullpen at Fenway to throw some real pitches for the first time in weeks. The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham tweeted that Buchholz seemed “to be throwing with what is at least close to full effort.” But about 18 pitches later, he was done. NESN reported that he walked off the throwing mound and said “It’s not ready.”

Buchholz was then sent away for an MRI. It’s believed to be a trapezius issue and is not expected to be anything more serious than that. The bigger problem is that he needs to throw at least two pain-free bullpen sessions before going to the minor leagues and may require more than one rehab start once he does.

The Sox have gone 11-1 in Buchholz’s starts, and Buchholz is 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA. Those numbers alone show just how much the Sox need him back. Unfortunately, Abraham also offered some ominous feedback on what he deduced about any return:

Given time off already and inability to complete a bullpen session, decent chance Buchholz doesn't pitch until after the break.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) June 26, 2013

In all honesty, the All-Star break isn’t that far away at this point, but the Sox sure could use Buchholz sooner.



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