Multiple Red Sox will not be ready to go for Opening Day

Brayan Bello and Wilyer Abreu are two of the Red Sox' young, up-and-coming stars that have shown they should become impact players for the Sox. However, neither will be available for Red Sox Opening Day on Mar. 27.

Abreu has been battling a gastrointestinal virus that has kept him off the diamond for the entirety of spring training.

"I definitely lost a little bit of weight," Abreu said, via Christopher Smith of MassLive. "But in all honesty, I think it might have helped me a little bit just because I feel I’m more in form than I was. I know it was a sickness, or whatever you want to call it, but I think that the weight loss has kind of helped me a little bit."

There is no definitive timeline for when Abreu will be well enough to play, nor is he completely ruled out for opening day. However, Red Sox manager Alex Cora did suggest that he is well behind schedule on his return, so it seems unlikely he will not be around to play the Rangers in two weeks.

For Bello, Sean McAdam of MassLive reports that the pitcher will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list. He has been battling a shoulder injury that has kept him off the mound for the entirety of spring training.

"He’ll be ready when he’s ready. We’re not going to throw him out there when he needs two more outings. … We’re going to be smart about it. He’s very important for us,” Cora said earlier in March about Bello's recovery.

After Cora's comments, the assumption was that Bello would not be available for opening day, but the official announcement confirms the suspicion.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.