Double-A Portland placed Ward on its 7-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
The 24-year-old right-hander is viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. He split time between the Low-A and High-A level in his last minor-league season in 2019, posting a 2.14 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 157:57 K:BB in 126.1 innings. The Red Sox won't have a clear idea on the extent of Ward's injury until after he undergoes further testing, but even if his UCL is confirmed to be intact and he's revealed to have only suffered a minor strain, he'll still likely miss more than the minimum seven days.