The Boston Red Sox begin their 2025 regular season on the road against the Texas Rangers on March 27.
Ahead of the team’s Saturday Spring Training contest vs. the Atlanta Braves, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed a flurry of good news on the injury front.
Both All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers and Gold Glove outfielder Wilyer Abreu started and made their much-anticipated spring debuts against the Braves. Devers’ first outing had been delayed due to a shoulder injury, while Abreu’s initial time on the diamond in exhibition play was pushed back because of a gastrointestinal virus.
“Cora has a lot of faith Wilyer Abreu will be ready for Opening Day. He’s in the lineup today and will be getting extra at-bats in minor league games. He had seven yesterday,” Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe posted on Bluesky on Saturday morning.
Abraham added that Abreu’s “return to health and opportunity to break camp with the team is a big plus for the Sox. 3.4 bWAR last season, Gold Glove defender in RF. Important guy.”
More good news on offense saw two-time All-Star middle infielder Trevor Story make his way back on the field after being scratched from the lineup earlier in the week due to back tightness.
Devers, Story and Abreu batted second, fourth and eighth at designated hitter, shortstop and right field, respectively, against Atlanta in a lineup that looked mostly like what Cora could use on Opening Day.
Red Sox Make Expected Opening Day Decision
In less surprising news, Boston’s man at the helm also made a major announcement regarding the squad’s starting rotation. Offseason acquisition Garrett Crochet was officially tabbed as the Red Sox Opening Day starter.
The 25-year-old lefty has tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings during Spring Training with his new club and is looking to build off his breakout 2024 campaign that resulted in his first All-Star honor. Crochet finished last season a dismal 6-12, but that was largely because he was stuck on a historically bad Chicago White Sox club.
Crochet recorded a 3.58 ERA, career-best 1.06 WHIP and 209 strikeouts (fourth-most in AL) across 146 innings pitched covering 32 starts. He was named the June AL Pitcher of the Month, made his first All-Star team in July and earned the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Crochet started Opening Day for Chicago last year against the Detroit Tigers, allowing just one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts across six innings, but was outdueled by AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
As noted by Abraham, the Boston newcomer will be the latest hurler in a rotating door of Red Sox Opening Day arms.
“Crochet would be the 4th Opening Day starter for the Sox in last four years following Bello (2024), Kluber (2023) and Eovaldi (2022),” the insider wrote.
Manager Alex Cora Picks Top 3 Starters
Cora also updated Red Sox Nation on the rest of the starting rotation, revealing who’d be the No. 2 and No. 3 starters to start the campaign.
2024 All-Star Tanner Houck will deservedly be on the bump for the second contest vs. Texas, while offseason signing Walker Buehler is slated to toe the rubber in the penultimate game of the opening series of the year.
Abraham pointed out that this sets up for Buehler to be on the mound for Boston’s home opener at Fenway Park on April 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The handful of positive injury updates on offense come on the heels of a pair of crushing blows to the projected starting rotation in Brayan Bello and one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.
It was reported on Tuesday that the former will be placed on the injured list with a shoulder ailment and reported on Thursday that the latter is going to the IL because of a hamstring issue.
Down his projected No. 4 and No. 5 starting pitchers, Cora will have some options to fill out the rotation.
“Cora: Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Sean Newcomb, and Quinn Priester are competing for the final two rotation spots. First time Newcomb has been mentioned in that mix,” The Boston Globe scribe wrote on Bluesky.
“‘They’re all throwing the ball well. They’re capable of going that. We’ll make a decision, probably in the upcoming days,” Cora said, per Abraham.
Criswell went 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 73 strikeouts over 99 1/3 innings pitched covering 26 games (18 starts) during his first year in Beantown in 2024. He’s allowed four runs on eight hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 frames this spring.
In his first MLB season last year, Fitts went 0-1 and surrendered 19 hits, six runs (four earned) with seven walks and nine strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings (four starts). The 25-year-old has given up just one run on six hits with four walks against nine punchouts across 6 1/3 innings during Spring Training.
The most experienced member of the group, Newcomb is entering his 10th MLB season in 2025. The southpaw only pitched 10 frames with the Oakland Athletics in 2024, but has been solid this spring, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Priester is a former 18th overall draft pick and was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates last July. The 24-year-old went 3-6 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 33 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings pitched covering 11 games (seven starts). Priester has given up two runs via eight hits, four walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 frames during Spring Training.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Red Sox Get Good News on Injured All-Stars, Make Major Announcement appeared first on Heavy Sports.