Red Sox make decision on No. 2 starter for 2026

Alex Cora and the Red Sox — and all of Boston, for that matter — knew that ace and Cy Young runner up Garrett Crochet would get the ball as the Opening Day starter for the club later this month in Cincinnati.

But this past weekend came with Cora's decision on who will follow Crochet in the Red Sox rotation, with veteran offseason addition Sonny Gray tabbed to be Boston's No. 2 pitcher in the rotation to begin the 2026 season.

Gray, who was acquired from the Cardinals this past offseason, is coming to Boston following a 2025 campaign that included a 14-8 record, 4.28 ERA, and 201 strikeouts in 180.2 innings of work over 32 starts for the Cards. 

The decision to go with the 36-year-old Gray in Cincy also gives him some familiarity to play with here, as he saw the Reds quite a bit as a member of the Cards and also played for the Reds from 2019 through 2021.

What's notable here is that the Red Sox are giving Gray the nod over Ranger Suárez, though Suárez projects to be Boston's actual next-best option in the rotation. Suárez, who signed a five-year deal worth $130 million with the club back in January, is coming off a 2025 with a 12-8 record and 3.20 ERA.

Suárez is currently playing with the Venezuelan team that knocked off Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals and has a chance to punch their ticket to a finals showdown with the U.S. on Monday night against Italy.

Of course, going with Gray over Suárez does allow the Red Sox to avoid going lefty-lefty out of the gate, which could be notable for the club.

If Gray is Boston's No. 2, it stands to reason that Suárez will be their No. 3, which bumps Brayan Bello down to the No. 4 spot in the rotation. Bello, for what it's worth, was Boston's Game 2 starter in the wild card round last October.