Johan Oviedo made just one appearance in a Boston Red Sox uniform before he reported an injury. The lefty pitcher experienced elbow pain a few days after his 3.2 inning appearance out of the bullpen against the Houston Astros.
Any baseball fan knows elbow injuries are about the worst news a player can get, especially for pitchers. Oviedo underwent Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season, and he visited the same doctor who performed his surgery to assess his current injury.
Oviedo has a flexor strain, first reported by Rob Bradford of WEEI. For now, the pitcher does not need surgery. He'll be shut down from throwing for six weeks and reevaluated afterward.
Flexor injuries can be devastating and even end seasons, so a six week recovery time with no need for surgery is a great outcome for Oviedo and Boston, especially if he heals quickly over that time. The Red Sox dodged a bullet, since there's seemingly no damage to his recently-repaired UCL, but flexor injuries are still no joke.
Red Sox shut Johan Oviedo down for six weeks with flexor strain, no surgery needed
Even if he heals fully in six weeks, Oviedo is a wild card in the Sox's pitching plans. He boasts a deadly fastball and his 98th percentile extension (from 2025) makes him particularly deceptive. His command still needs work, however — he allowed four runs, including two homers, on six hits and a walk in his Red Sox debut.
Oviedo's spring training showed mixed results. He didn't allow a run in his first three outings with Boston, but he also walked three batters in his first 1.2 inning appearance. He went two outings without giving up a free pass, but walked five batters in his final 6.2 spring training innings.
Thankfully, the Red Sox have pitching depth to spare. Connelly Early made the starting rotation in Oviedo's place and he's had good results so far with a 2.89 ERA over 9.1 innings across two starts. Payton Tolle allowed four runs in his first Triple-A start of the year but showed out in his second outing, going six, one-run innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are also making their way back from injuries and could be active close to the time of Oviedo's expected reevaluation, if all goes well with their remaining rehab.