Ranger Suarez’s Groin Injury Deepens Red Sox Rotation Crisis

During the bottom of the third inning in Anaheim, Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez tried to field a choppy comebacker off Angels right-fielder Jo Adell, took a sideways hop, landed awkwardly and grimaced. After a brief warm-up pitch, he left having thrown 2 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and striking out five.

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The Red Sox said Suarez has left adductor (groin) tightness, with severity under evaluation. The club also placed left-hander Connelly Early on the 15-day injured list for elbow inflammation and will send Early to Arlington, Texas, for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister. No return timeline was given.

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Boston’s rotation has been thinned by several injuries: Garrett Crochet (out since April), Roman Anthony (absent >2 months), infielders Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (forearm inflammation), Connelly Early (elbow) and Triston Casas (wrist). Remaining regular starters are Sonny Gray (2.61 ERA) and newly acquired Ranger Suarez.

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Suarez’s season stats differ: Boston Herald lists a 3.15 ERA over 17 starts with 97 strikeouts in 91 1/3 innings; Heavy.com cites a 2.94 ERA in 88.2 innings, a 1.128 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. Replacement options are left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts on 68 pitches in a July 4 rehab start, and right-hander Brayan Bello, who has a 4.34 ERA in four Triple-A starts.

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The Boston Herald described the injury’s timing as “particularly dreadful” given Suarez’s All-Star selection the night before, while Athlon Sports called the situation “brutal timing” with Connelly Early also sidelined.

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Sources list different ERA (3.15 vs. 2.94) and innings (91 1/3 vs. 88.2). The injury’s severity and its effect on Suarez’s All-Star Game participation are not disclosed.

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• “Sandoval tossed five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts (68 pitches) in a rehab start with Double-A Portland on July 4. The hope is he will join Boston’s rotation for the final series before the All-Star break,” — MLB.com injury update

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• “The hope when he signed was that he would return by the end of the 2025 season, but setbacks pushed back his timeline,” — Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic

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• “Sweeping a series on the road tomorrow would be something that is a good step in a good direction,” — Sonny Gray, Red Sox pitcher

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• “Just be very selective. … And then we got people on base and got three big swings from the big boys between Willson, Romy, and Abreu.” — Chad Tracy, interim manager

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Boston will finish the three-game series at Anaheim, then likely activate Patrick Sandoval before the All-Star break. The club must decide if Suarez will play in the All-Star Game and whether to recall Brayan Bello for additional rotation depth.

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