BOSTON, MA - JULY 10: Sandy Leon #3 of the Boston Red Sox signals to the dugout as Clay Buchholz #11 reacts on the mound in the fourth inning New York Yankees at Fenway Park on July 10, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. Buchholz left the game moments later. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
The bad news just keeps coming for the fading Boston Red Sox.
Losers of eight consecutive games and firmly planted in the AL East cellar (12 games behind the first-place New York Yankees), the Red Sox reportedly will be without their ace until at least September. The Boston Herald and MLB.com are among those reporting that right-hander Clay Buchholz received an injection of platelet-rich plasma during his visit with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.
Buchholz hasn't pitched since July 10 because of a right flexor strain.
"I definitely want to pitch again [this season]," Buchholz told MLB.com. "I don't care how many starts. I need to ... that's why I'm here. This is actually a big year for me, too."
The injury clouds Buchholz's future with the Red Sox, with whom he has spent his entire nine-season major-league career. The team holds a $13 million option on the 30-year-old for next season.
"I'm going to be throwing somewhere. Baseball is baseball. I've definitely been here my whole career. I don't really want to go anywhere," Buchholz told the Boston Herald. "When it comes to the time where somebody's got to make a decision, the decision doesn't always match the same way you feel. It is what it is. That's the business side. I've said it a hundred times. It happens to a lot of guys. It's very rare for a guy to stay in one spot his whole career. If it does happen, it happens."
In 18 starts this season, Buchholz is 7-7 with a 3.26 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings.
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