The Boston Red Sox are already dealing with injuries to key players (we still have no clue when we're seeing Roman Anthony or Garrett Crochet again), and it seems like the list keeps getting longer.
After he exited Boston's 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Jul. 5 after just 2.2 innings, Ranger Suarez has officially been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain.
Suarez, who earned his second career All-Star nod this season, has been remarkable in his first year with the Red Sox. Through 17 starts, he is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP in 91.1 innings.
Ranger Suarez's absence could open door for other Red Sox
The Venezuelan native is going to be out of action for at least a little bit of time, and the Red Sox need to figure out who to make up for his absence in the meantime.
Right now, the most likely replacement is Patrick Sandoval, who is set to make his Red Sox debut on Thursday, but this shouldn't be set in stone just yet. Sandoval missed all of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery the year before, and it's going to be important to monitor how he performs right away.
Another notable candidate (if it's not too soon) is Brayan Bello. The 27-year-old had an incredibly rocky season with the Red Sox, even getting to the point where he needed an opener to pitch before him to look effective (which, to be fair, worked really well for him individually). Bello has made four starts at Triple-A since he was sent down, recording a 4.34 ERA in 18.2 innings.
Red Sox need Ranger Suarez back as soon as possible
Regardless of who it ends up being, the Red Sox better hope this is just a short IL stint for Suarez. He has been fantastic all season and has been one of their best players in total. And with the team finally turning things around (11-3 in their last 14 games, no longer in last place in the AL East, just three games back of the third AL Wild Card spot), Suarez's injury hit them at a bad time, even with the All-Star break on the horizon.
Boston has a good pitching staff regardless, but with Suarez and Crochet out, there's a lot of pressure on the younger guys, like Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett.
Hopefully for them, they can get back to full health sooner rather than later and keep their momentum going.
Add us as a preferred source on Google