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Boston Red Sox make 5 roster moves: Hirokazu Sawamura optioned to Worcester, Hansel Robles placed on IL

Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura walks off the field in the rain after pitching in the seventh inning May 5, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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The Boston Red Sox made five roster moves before their doubleheader against the Orioles on Saturday.

They optioned Hirokazu Sawamura to Triple-A Worcester and placed Hansel Robles on the IL with back spasms.

They recalled relievers Phillips Valdez and Ryan Brasier from Worcester.

Boston also named Josh Winckowski the 27th man for the doubleheader. He will make his MLB debut when he starts Game 2.

Sawamura has been extremely unreliable this season despite a 3.60 ERA in 18 outings. Fangraphs has him for no shutdowns and three meltdowns this season.

Boston leads the big leagues with the most meltdowns (36), a win probability statistic created by Fangraphs. “If a player increased his team’s win probability by 6% (0.06 WPA), then they get a Shutdown. If a player made his team 6% more likely to lose (-0.06), they get a Meltdown,” according to the site.

The Red Sox bullpen allowed 10 runs on 15 hits last night to blow an 8-2 lead entering the seventh inning against the Orioles.

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