Red Sox reliever Matt Strahm expected to return after brief stint on COVID-19 Reserve
The Boston Red Sox placed relief pitcher Matt Strahm on the COVID-19-related Injured List on Monday. Alex Cora said in Tuesday night’s postgame press conference the left-hander is expected to return to the 26-man roster Wednesday, according to Red Sox Nation Stats on Twitter.
Strahm is in his first year with the Red Sox, he’s appeared in 18 games and holds a 3.68 ERA and 2-2 record. His most recent appearance came last Friday against Baltimore, where he was taken out after 0.1 innings after allowing four runs — three earned — and five hits.
During Strohm’s brief absence, Boston promoted Hirokazu Sawamura from the Red Sox’s Triple-A Worcester. The right-hander pitched two relief innings on Tuesday in Boston’s 10-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Sawamura threw 23 pitches in the fifth and sixth innings, entering the game with no outs and a runner on second and third. He closed out the inning with three straight outs, though the Orioles baserunners scored to make it 6-0. The 34-year-old pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth to finish his night with one strikeout and zero earned runs.
