With the injury to Eduardo Rodriguez, the Boston Red Sox were likely hoping that Clay Buchholz would be able to pick up the slack in the meantime. However, his 2016 debut didn't go as planned after the Red Sox fell to the Cleveland Indians.
Buchholz lasted just four innings on Wednesday and allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks, including a three-run homer to Carlos Santana in the first inning. If there was any good to take away from the right-hander's 2016 debut, it's that most of the damage was done to him in the first inning, during which he surrendered four runs on three hits and a walk.
Although he settled down after that, this is not what the Sox envisioned after president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski picked up the 31-year-old's $13 million team option for the 2016 season. Buchholz's inconsistency and injury troubles throughout his career led many to believe that he could become a free agent after 2015, or at least be traded if the team exercised his option.
However, Dombrowski said that if Buchholz pitched well and showed he was healthy following his recovery from a flexor strain in his right elbow that he would pick up the option, which indicated that the veteran would be involved in the team's 2016 plans.
That held true, and the Sox were hoping that he'd fortify the top of the rotation along with Rodriguez and David Price, but Buchholz's spring training and 2016 debut haven't exactly portrayed his readiness to be an integral part of the starting cast. While he finished the spring with a 3.86 ERA in four starts, he allowed 13 hits and nine walks in 14 innings, which resulted in a 1.57 WHIP.
Buchholz had a shot to make a case to become the team's No. 2 starter, but he's been unable to make the decision easy for manager John Farrell.
Then again, it was only his first start of the season, as well as his first official outing since July 10 against the New York Yankees. While it didn't start off well, Buchholz was at least able to rebound and settle down, which could be an optimistic way to look at the whole scenario moving forward.
After all, before he suffered the elbow injury last year, the right-hander had a 3.26 ERA through 18 starts.
