Outside of Garrett Crochetâs strong start, the Red Sox rotation has been inconsistentâbut help is on the way with three key arms nearing return from injury, per NESN.
Brayan Bello
Bello is set to start Wednesday night in Hartford for Double-A Portland. Itâs expected to be his final rehab appearance, which lines him up to rejoin Bostonâs rotation on April 21âPatriotsâ Dayâagainst the Chicago White Sox.
Shoulder inflammation delayed Bello’s spring, disrupting his usual ramp-up. After a rocky first half last season, he settled into a groove and was aiming to build on that progress before the injury. The Red Sox hope he can pick up where he left off at the end of last year during their venerated morning start on Marathon Monday.
Lucas Giolito
Giolito, signed back in January 2024, has yet to make his Red Sox debut. He missed all of 2024 following an internal bracing procedure on his elbow. On the first pitch of his first spring 2025 outing, he suffered a strained hamstring.
Heâll pitch Tuesday night in Hartford for his third rehab start and is expected to go again Sundayâeither in Portland or Worcester. If all goes well, he could slot into the rotation for Bostonâs series in Cleveland against the Guardians (April 25â27). With Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler in place at the top of the Sox rotation, Giolito would add depth and experience to the back end.
Liam Hendriks
Hendriks is close to pitching for the Red Sox for the first time. Heâs scheduled to make his third rehab appearance Wednesday in Hartford and could be activated Friday when Boston returns home to face the White Sox.
Hendriksâ path back to a Major League mound has been a long journey. He returned from non-Hodgkinâs lymphoma in 2023, only to suffer an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He aimed to pitch last fall but wasnât ready, then landed on the IL again this spring with elbow inflammation.
If healthy, Hendriks will join Aroldis Chapman, Justin Slaten, and Garrett Whitlock as a key bullpen arm. He saved 75 games for the White Sox across 2021 and 2022.
Garrett Crochet has been the ace everyone expected, with a 2â1 record and a 1.38 ERA with 28 strikeouts. But starters like Tanner Houck (0â2, 9.16 ERA), Richard Fitts (0â2, 3.18 ERA), and Sean Newcomb (0â2, 4.97 ERA) have struggled. Despite the team’s 9-10 record, the team’s pitching staff ranks seventh in MLB with a 3.81 ERA and second in WHIP at 1.19.
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