Ranger Suárez Leaves Red Sox Start vs. Astros With Abrupt Injury

The Boston Red Sox starter was forced to leave his start early on Sunday.

Apr 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) is retired for the night during fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The hits keep coming for the Boston Red Sox.

Boston already has two of its starting pitchers on the Injured List in Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray. Two of the club's potential depth options are still on the Injured List in Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval as well. The Red Sox are a team that entered the 2026 season seemingly with a surplus of starting pitching. That has quickly shifted and Boston had yet another scare on Sunday.

Boston started Ranger Suárez, and he was forced to suddenly leave his start against the Houston Astros on Sunday after four innings.

The Red Sox Starter Left On Sunday Ranger Suárez

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Not good. Ranger Suarez is done after only 70 pitches and 4 shutout innings. The Red Sox are out of starting pitching depth with Sonny Gray and Garrett Crochet both hurt. Speechless at this point. pic.twitter.com/1IqT8v9qC8

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 3, 2026

Suárez threw 70 pitches against Houston and allowed just three base hits and didn't give up a run. In the process, he lowered his season ERA to a team-low 2.77. But now the Red Sox will need to wait to see if there is an issue that will cause him to miss time.

When Suárez left on Sunday, the Red Sox didn't initially announce the reason for his early exit. The best-case scenario for Suárez's early exit would be some sort of cramp or illness that ended his day early, but wouldn't impact his next start. The worst-case scenario would, of course, be if Suárez needs to miss any time moving forward. Again, this is a club that's already scraping for pitching. Red Sox No. 6 prospect Jake Bennett made his big league debut this week in place of Crochet. There has been chatter about Brayan Bello's role in the Red Sox's rotation. Bello has a 9.12 ERA in six starts so far this season.

Bello hasn't been yanked from the rotation, but there has been chatter out there about how Boston could make a change at some point if he keeps struggling. Plus, Bennett looked great in his big league debut. Also, Payton Tolle is in the majors right now as well after Gray was placed on the Injured List. So, essentially, the Red Sox's rotation is already thin and relying on prospects, or is full of struggling veterans.

Suárez has been a big positive after signing with the team in free agency this past offseason. But, now Boston fans need to wait to see what happens next. Again, the Red Sox haven't announced what knocked Suárez out of the contest yet. There's still a chance, as of writing, that it isn't anything serious. That's what Boston needs.