Red Sox Can Unlock Patrick Sandoval in Once-Unexpected Way

The Boston Red Sox are in a place that the vast majority of teams around baseball would lke to be in.

Boston is going to have difficult decisions to make before Opening Day because of the fact that the club doesn't have enough starting rotation spots to go around for the volume of talented hurlers the team has. Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are all options for the club. Of the group, Craford and Sandoval are behind, though, as they look to get back into the action after missing the 2025 season.

There's been a lot of chatter about how the No. 5 rotation spot could shake out. On Wednesday, Red Sox insider Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe shared a new roster projection and predicted that Oviedo will win the No. 5 rotation job. One nugget that stood out is that Abraham predicted that Sandoval will start the season in the bullpen.

The Red Sox hurler is someone to watch

Feb 18, 2025; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Patrick Sandoval (43) participates in media day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"Rotation (5): LHP Garrett Crochet, RHP Sonny Gray, LHP Ranger Suárez, RHP Brayan Bello, RHP Johan Oviedo," Abraham wrote. "Explanation: No changes here. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are not ready to appear in games and aren’t candidates for the rotation. Connelly Early, Oviedo, and Payton Tolle are competing for the No. 5 spot. Cora has said all three are viewed as starters, not as possibilities to go to the bullpen. ...

"Bullpen (8): LHP Aroldis Chapman, LHP Jovani Morán, RHP Zack Kelly, LHP Patrick Sandoval, RHP Justin Slaten, RHP Ryan Watson, RHP Greg Weissert, RHP Garrett Whitlock. Explanation: For now, we’ll include Sandoval as a bullpen choice. But it’s more likely the Sox find an experienced left-handed reliever via trade or the waiver wire to supplement Morán."

Sandoval was an intriguing pickup last offseason. The Red Sox brought him in knowing he would miss most of the 2025 season at least. But he was signed to be a depth starter and to potentially play a big role in 2026. Things have changed, though, in the rotation. Sandoval signed a two-year, $18.25 million deal with the club after logging a 4.01 ERA across his first six big league seasons. One thing that is clear, that Abraham also pointed out, is the fact that Boston is thin on left-handed relievers right now. Steven Matz left, Justin Wilson is a free agent and Brennan Bernardino was traded, among others. If Sandoval were to move into the bullpen, he could be the unexpected solution.

While Sandoval hasn't pitched in a Spring Training game yet, he has impressed manager Alex Cora already.

“What Sandoval did today, that’s impressive," Cora said on Feb. 13. "That's good to see. Besides the person, but he's a good pitcher. For him to be in that spot, that caught my attention. Let’s put it that way.”'

Sandoval also made it known that he's open to anything with the club.

"It's not up to me. I'm a Red Sox, so I'll do whatever they want me to do. … I've done it a couple times, but it would definitely be adjustment," Sandoval said.

Regardless, he will have to get into Spring Training games before any decision can be made.