Boston Red Sox starter Brian Johnson left Wednesday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning with discomfort in his left shoulder.
He will be re-evaluated on Friday in Boston.
Johnson said he started to feel tightness during warm-ups and came out of the game as a precaution. After two strong innings, Johnson lost a lot of velocity on his pitches, leading to the Phillies' only offensive outburst of the game in the third inning.
Right-hander Hector Velazquez, who had been recalled prior to the game, was pressed into emergency duty when Johnson left. After getting hammered in his first major league appearance in May, Velazquez was solid against the Phillies, allowing just one hit and two walks in 3⅓ scoreless innings and earning his first big league victory as the Red Sox won 7-3.
Johnson is 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA for the Red Sox this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.