Evan Drellich of The Boston Herald reported that Tazawa “fell out of favor in mid- to late-August, during a six-game span in which he allowed 10 earned runs. A right shoulder impingement in July was, in some way, the beginning of the end for his time as a trusted late-inning option.”
Tazawa was put on the outside of the division series roster, looking in on relievers like Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel, Robbie Ross Jr., Koji Uehara, and Brad Ziegler.