Ex-Red Sox star Matsuzaka injures shoulder while meeting fan

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the one-time Boston Red Sox star whose promising major-league career was derailed by injuries, still can't catch a break.

The one-time World Series champion, who now pitches for the Chunichi Dragons in his native Japan, sustained yet another arm injury in truly bizarre fashion. During a meet-and-greet with fans at the team's spring training this week, an excited Dragons fan apparently pulled Matsuzaka's throwing arm so hard that it left the right-hander with an inflamed shoulder, according to The Associated Press.

As a result of the strange injury, Matsuzaka has been shut down by the Dragons. It's not clear when he'll be ready to throw again.

"Dice-K" briefly became a phenomenon when he left Japan for a massive deal with the Red Sox in 2007. But, while he helped Boston to a championship as a rookie and finished fourth in Cy Young voting the following year, a barrage of arm injuries - including Tommy John surgery in 2011 - sealed his fate as a big-league bust. He last appeared in the majors with the New York Mets in 2014 before missing nearly three full seasons due to shoulder surgery.

Matsuzaka, now 38, revitalized his career with the Dragons in 2018, posting a 3.74 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 11 starts en route to being named Japan's Comeback Player of the Year.