Boston Red Sox fans were shocked to see reports that Brayan Bello had returned to Fort Myers for spring training on March 13 — he suited up for Team Domnican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, a team many fans expected to see in the final.
Bello was lined up to start either the DR's semifinal game against the United States or the championship game, if it made it there. But the righty returned to spring training early and said he didn't feel he was getting the work he needed with his WBC squad.
The same thing has happened with Ranger Suárez, who made two starts for his home country of Venezuela. The Red Sox on March 17 — the day of Venezuela's final tilt against Team USA — announced that Suárez was not properly built up in the WBC. He'll be in the rotation a the beginning of the season, but he'll be limited (per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe).
Days before reports of Suárez's condition, Alex Cora officially named Sonny Gray the starter for the second game of Boston's season. Red Sox fans expected Suárez to be the No. 2 starter given his history of consistency and Gray's age, but the latter will hold down the second spot in the rotation.
Ranger Suárez will be limited in Red Sox's rotation to start season after minimal work in World Baseball Classic
Suárez has only pitched 9.1 innings of game action this spring between Red Sox spring training outings and WBC appearances. In comparison, Johan Oviedo, who spent the entire spring with the Sox has made four appearances for a total of 11.1 innings.
Suárez also hasn't looked like himself early on. He allowed six runs on six hits, including two home runs, during his 4.2 innings in the WBC, and three runs on five hits, one of them a home run, over his 4.2 spring training innings. It's still early, though, and adequate time to warm up is key before the season — slow-playing the early games would do Suárez good.
With just over a week between the announcement of Suárez's condition and the start of the 2026 season, the lefty can get another Grapefruit League start in before he has to pitch in a game that counts. Other than Suárez's need to build up, the Red Sox's rotation seems nearly set. Oviedo is reportedly the favorite for the fifth spot after giving up just two runs in his spring training outings so far, with Garrett Crochet, Gray and Bello taking up the other spots.