Red Sox rotation finally starting to get healthy again
The Red Sox are finally starting to get some of their key pitchers back from injuries. Here’s the latest on the rotation.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on August 28, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesAt long last, the Boston Red Sox are starting to get healthy again in the starting rotation.
First up is righty Brayan Bello, who's set to make his 2025 season debut for the Red Sox on Tuesday night, in the first of a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. Bello had been on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation since March 27. The Mariners have yet to announce their starter for Tuesday's contest.
Bello, 25, is entering his fourth major-league season and second of a six-year contract extension with Boston. He'll look to build on a decent 2024 season, in which he posted a 14-8 record with a 4.49 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 162 innings. His 4.19 FIP suggested that he could be in line for better luck on the mound.
Coming up behind Bello on the health front is Lucas Giolito, who has also been on the IL since March 27, with a minor hamstring strain. Giolito went five innings and threw 65 pitches in his most recent rehab start, and could make one more before being activated, according to Ian Browne at MLB.com.
Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesBrayan Bello
Kutter Crawford, meanwhile, is out until at least the beginning of June, as he deals with right patellar soreness. But Bello and Giolito will round out the Red Sox' rotation, which could also expand to six pitchers if the team is healthy enough.
Garrett Crochet has been mostly as advertised as Boston's new ace, with a 1.13 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 32 innings through five starts. Fellow new addition Walker Buehler has rebounded from a shaky start to the season, with a 2.38 ERA over his last two outings.
Tanner Houck also bounced back from the worst game of his career, when he allowed 11 runs in 2.2 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 14. He allowed two runs and struck out seven in six innings against the White Sox on Sunday, but his season ERA stands at 7.66.
The return of Bello, and subsequently Giolito's long-awaited Red Sox debut, has a chance to solidify the Red Sox rotation going forward, especially if Crochet and Buehler can continue to settle in and pitch to their capabilities.
