One player heads into the twilight. Another is heading back into the spotlight.
On the same day the Red Sox officially placed J.D. Drew on the disabled list with a bum left shoulder, the Red Sox activated left-hander Jon Lester to start last night’s game against the Royals at Fenway Park.
But the most significant injury news of the day revolved around righty Clay Buchholz, who threw a much-anticipated bullpen session. It was his first mound time since going on the DL June 17 with a strained lower back; he emerged relatively unscathed after 30 pitches.
“Arm feels good, feels like the ball is coming out of my hand,” Buchholz said. “That’s definitely one thing I expected.”
The arm was not the concern, however, and Buchholz did experience soreness in his back after the session. But within 10 minutes he said it felt better after doing some stretching.
“He felt a little stretching, which I think is a lot better than feeling pain,” manager Terry Francona said. “He said it was like night and day from his last side session, which was good news.
“If you watched him throw, you would never believe that he’s missed time.”
Buchholz is expected to throw a longer bullpen session Thursday.
“I think it’s the biggest step in the right direction in this process,” Buchholz said.
