When will Walker Buehler be back? All you need to know about Red Sox star's return

For almost a week, the Boston Red Sox have been without one of their prized offseason acquisition: Walker Buehler. He was placed on the injured list with shoulder bursitis, an injury that can often lead to lengthy stints on the bench.

Fortunately, the pitcher has avoided the worst diagnosis, as he won’t need surgery, and doesn’t have to stop pitching. Buehler is already expected to return to action next week.

“Walker Buehler is back next week. Think it’s no question at this point that Hunter Dobbins should stay in the rotation over Houck,” MLB insider Gordon Edes tweeted on Monday.

Hunter Dobbins was brought in to take Buehler’s spot in the rotation. While he’s been out, Dobbins has pitched well, and Edes believes he should be in the rotation permanently.

Should Dobbins be retained, Buehler would have to replace someone else. Edes thinks it should be Tanner Houck, who has an 8.04 ERA and -0.4 bWAR. He has struggled after a career year (3.9 fWAR) last season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said that Buehler was on pace to return sometime against the New York Mets from May 19-21, and that return date is in line with Edes’ reporting.

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Red Sox star’s future not guaranteed

Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox have a strained relationship. The former All-Star was unhappy that the team moved him from third base to be a full-time DH.

Alex Bregman’s arrival forced that issue, and Triston Casas’ injury prompted Boston to ask if Devers would play first base. He turned that down and was frustrated with the saga.

Despite signing an extension in 2023, Devers’ future is up in the air, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ken Rosenthal.

“The idea of a trade at some point isn’t all that far-fetched, even with Devers owed more than $250 million, including a portion deferred,” Rosenthal wrote on Tuesday. “For a hitter of his quality, the contract soon might look like something of a bargain, at least compared to Juan Soto’s $765 million and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500 million.”

Rosenthal added that a Bregman opt-out after this year wouldn’t matter because the Red Sox could use Marcelo Mayer at third and keep Devers as a DH since he’s not an elite defender.