Red Sox Finally Getting Clarity on Johan Oviedo's Injury Status

The Boston Red Sox have been missing one of their offseason trade acquisitions for a while at this point.

Johan Oviedo came over to Boston in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that cut ties with former outfield prospect Jhostynxon García in a package. The Red Sox, fortunately, got rookie Tyler Samaniego in the deal, who has a 1.10 ERA in 16 appearances this season. But Oviedo has made just one appearance in a Boston uniform. He didn't make the starting rotation out of Spring Training and kicked off the season as a long man in the bullpen for the Red Sox. But he only made one appearance before landing on the Injured List with a flexor strain.

Back in April, it was shared that he would be shut down for about six weeks.

On Wednesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported that Oviedo had his follow-up and that "healing is going well."

"Red Sox pitcher Johan Oviedo's checkup showed his healing is going well," Smith wrote on X.

The Red Sox Hurler Took A Positive Step

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

"So he's going to begin forearm strengthening exercises and then hopefully in a couple, two, three weeks, he's starting to throw. But everything went well with his checkup," Red Sox intereim manager Chad Tracy said, as transcribed by Smith.

So, this is a positive update, although Oviedo isn't anywhere near a return to the big leagues yet. As Tracy noted, there will be a few weeks of build-up before starting to throw. While Tracy didn't give an exact timeline for Oviedo's throwing progression, you'd have to imagine that it will be long. He hasn't pitched in a game since March 30. A few weeks of forearm strengthening exercises would bring us into June, at least. Then, it will take time to go through his pitching progression and build up innings again. At some point, he'll likely begin a minor league rehab assignment. For a pitcher, that can last up to 30 days.

For Boston, there's no need to rush. The Red Sox have enough pitching depth to get through. In fact, Boston has some of the best pitching in the league. Boston has the fourth-best team ERA (3.08) in baseball over the last 30 days. Over the last 15 days, Boston has the second-best mark in the league at 2.48.

Eventually, Oviedo will return and that will be a luxury for the team. For now, there's no need to rush.

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