​The Red Sox have moved All-Star starting pitcher Ranger Suarez to the 15-day injured list due to a left groin strain and have recalled infielder Brett Harris, who was recently acquired in a trade. Suarez suffered the strain during his start on Sunday in Anaheim, leaving the game after just 2 ⅔ innings. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session at Rate Field in Chicago on Thursday morning to gauge his readiness for a potential Saturday start in New York against the Mets. However, the team decided not to have him throw.
“I’ve been feeling better the last two days,” Suarez said. “But I still feel it a little bit, so I don’t think I’m going to be able to pitch on Saturday.”
Interim manager Chad Tracy explained the decision: “The hope was we’d get him into a bullpen today, based on how he was feeling. But also knowing that if he wasn’t feeling really good about it that we weren’t going to actually throw the side and put him through it if it wasn’t showing significant improvement. He is feeling some improvement, but not enough to where we’re comfortable that he would have been able to go Saturday, so we made the move today.”
Brayan Bello is among the options to replace Suarez, either as a starter or as a bulk reliever following an opener. “There’s a lot of different options we can do,” Tracy said Wednesday. “We just don’t know what we’re going to do. We’ve got to keep all options open. (Bello) could be used in any of those scenarios.”
Suarez’s numbers this season include a 3.15 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 2.63 FIP across 17 starts. He is one of three Red Sox players selected for the All-Star Game next Tuesday, along with Willson Contreras and Aroldis Chapman. Instead of traveling to the All-Star event, Suarez will remain in Boston to continue treatment.
The club acquired Harris from the Athletics on July 1 to bolster infield depth, and he delivered a grand slam for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. The 28-year-old infielder has appeared in five games for Worcester and is hitting .317 with a .421 on-base percentage, .515 slugging percentage, and .936 OPS across 42 games this season between Triple-A Las Vegas and Worcester. Harris has versatility, having played first base, second base, and third base.
On the roster front, the Red Sox will pencil in 14 position players and 12 pitchers for Thursday, with the possibility of Friday’s lineup still in play before summoning a pitcher to fill Suarez’s spot. Initially, Bello was the top option to be demoted following a rough start on June 4 against the Orioles; he carries a 4.34 ERA in four starts at Worcester.
Looking ahead, the organization continues to navigate a season full of questions and adjustments. For instance, discussions around Sonny Gray’s performance have highlighted how well he has pitched this year. As the trade deadline approaches, insights into internal movement and strategic decisions are shaping the Red Sox’s midseason trajectory. The team will also be evaluating rookie starting pitchers as part of its midseason grades and overall assessment of the pitching staff.
For further updates and in-depth analysis, continue to monitor MassLive as the Red Sox navigate Suarez’s injury, Bello’s development, and Harris’s integration into the roster.