​CHICAGO — Well before many of his teammates reached Rate Field for the opening game of the Red Sox’ three-game set with the Chicago White Sox, Ranger Suarez was back at work on Tuesday afternoon. The left-hander, who had his Sunday night start in Anaheim cut short by a strained adductor, was throwing on flat ground in right field under the watchful eyes of interim manager Chad Tracy, pitching coach Andrew Bailey and several members of the training staff.
After the session, Suarez said he felt improvement but still experienced some soreness. “A little better, a little bit better,” he said. “I still felt it a little bit. We’ll wait to make a decision. On Thursday, I have a bullpen and we’ll go from there to see if I can make my next start or not. We’ll see if I can manage the pain or not.”
If Suarez shows improvement on Thursday, he would likely start Saturday at Citi Field against the New York Mets in the second-to-last game before the All-Star break. “As an athlete, you get to know your body and play with pain,” Suarez noted. “I don’t think anybody here is pain-free. But you also know how to manage the pain. Obviously, you don’t want to pitch on Saturday and have a one- or two-inning outing that puts the bullpen in a bad position, like it did on Sunday. So we’ll see on Thursday how I feel and then we’ll go from there.”
Tracy provided a succinct update: “Nothing to report other than he was able to throw today. Thursday will give us a much better idea as far as getting off a slope with some intent.” He also outlined a contingency plan should Suarez be unavailable for Saturday’s start. Among the options is a bullpen game in which the Red Sox would deploy several relievers to cover nine innings. “We’re working behind the scenes — nothing concrete, but at least preparing for it,” Tracy said. “There’s nothing concrete, but we’re at least prepared. We’ll see how he does Thursday and be able to make a better decision.”
The situation remains fluid as the Red Sox navigate what would be a critical return for their rotation ahead of the break. While the team weighs the risk of pushing Suarez, they are also preparing backup plans in case he isn’t ready to go on Saturday. The emphasis is on monitoring his progress through the day-by-day process, with Thursday’s bullpen session expected to yield a clearer picture of whether he’ll be able to take the mound in New York or whether the team must lean on its relief corps for a longer-than-anticipated stretch.
In the broader context of the club’s health news, other notes around the organization include Willson Contreras’ potential return as a Red Sox’ All-Star Derby participant candidate, Patrick Sandoval’s readiness to rejoin the mound on Thursday after a delayed return, and a suspension reduction that alters Tuesday and Wednesday plans for a speedy outfielder. As always, the Red Sox remain focused on balancing aggressive play with prudent medical judgment, especially with the season reaching a pivotal point just before the All-Star break.