Red Sox Stuck in Limbo With Johan Oviedo Injury

The Boston Red Sox got some bad news on Friday with Johan Oviedo being placed on the 15-Day Injured List with a right elbow strain.

Boston officially announced the move on Friday morning.

The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/uuYNoXJMpT
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 3, 2026

The Red Sox hurler is on the Injured List

Mar 2, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Johan Oviedo (29) looks on in the dugout during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

It's unfortunate for the big righty. As of right now, it's too early to know how serious the injury is. All that is known right now is that Oviedo will miss at least two weeks while on the 15-Day IL.

But when will we find out how serious the strain is? That information will come over the next week or so. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported that Oviedo will meet with prominent doctor, Dr. Meister, who performed his past Tommy John surgery, over the next week to determine the severity of the injury.

"Oviedo is going to see Dr. Meister who performed his TJ surgery to compare his MRI this week to the one from his surgery. They’ll know more then," McCaffrey wrote. "[Alex Cora] said won’t move [Wilyer Abreu] up in the lineup after six games, he likes him hitting behind [Willson Contreras]."

Oviedo underwent Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season. It caused him to miss the entire 2024 campaign and a good chunk of the 2025 campaign. He made nine starts in the big leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates and eight starts down in the minors in 2025.

Now, the Red Sox will be holding their breath over the next few days. The best-case scenario would be the results coming back clean and Oviedo missing the minimum 15 days. The worst-case scenario, obviously, would be a tear bad enough to make Oviedo miss significant time. There's no reason to speculate about a person's health. The information will come over the next week after Oviedo meets with Dr. Meister. In the meantime, the Red Sox are turning to Tyler Uberstine and Zack Kelly to replace Oviedo and Garrett Whitlock in the bullpen. Whitlock is completely healthy. In fact, he's great right now. He was placed on the paternity list with a new baby in the family.

Oviedo is going to help this club at some point. Hopefully, that is in just about two weeks. If not, he still will help at some point. Boston acquired him this past offseason and he's under team control through the 2027 season.

It's tough any time you see an injury pop up. As more information is provided, we will keep you updated.