Red Sox Reportedly Have Ranger Suárez 'Concerns' for Opening Day

The Boston Red Sox lefty could be "limited" to kick off the 2026 season.

Mar 14, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Venezuela starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) delivers a pitch against Japan in the third inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are just over one week away from kicking off what should be a very exciting 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Boston went 89-73 in 2025 after three straight seasons going .500 or worse. Boston went 81-81 in 2024 and 78-84 in both 2022 and 2023. Arguably, Boston is in a better place right now than it was at the end of the 2025 season, even without Alex Bregman. Boston has the best outfield in baseball with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran. The infield is very good with Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story and most likely Marcelo Mayer. Also, the rotation looks like it could be the very best in baseball on paper with Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Ranger Suárez and most likely Johan Oviedo.

One thing worth watching early on this season will be how the Red Sox use Suárez, though. On Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe shared that Boston has some "concerns" with how Suárez has been built up and although he is expected to begin the season in the rotation, he could be "limited."

The Red Sox lefty pitched in the WBC

Mar 14, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Venezuela starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) delivers a pitch against Japan in the third inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"Red Sox have concerns with Ranger Suárez being built up. He has only four games and 9.1 IP this spring counting the WBC. Cora indicated he would still be in the rotation but could be limited at first," Abraham wrote.

In comparison, has 11 1/3 innings of work so far this spring in four appearances. Crochet has 9 1/3 innings of work in Spring Training games across three appearances. Plus, he pitched in a minor league contest on Monday. Abraham noted that Crochet pitched 5 1/3 innings on Monday against Atlanta Braves minor leaguers and threw 70 pitches.

Suárez is going to be a massive piece for the Red Sox this season. If limiting his workload a tad in March and April helps to preserve him and keep him healthy for September, that's what really matters. The World Baseball Classic is another variable to navigate. The Red Sox have been well-represented, but it does sound like it could impact how the club looks early on.