Wednesday was shaping up to be Kyle Harrison day for the Boston Red Sox. Reports on Tuesday night suggested that the Red Sox are expected to recall Harrison from Triple-A Worcester ahead of their game against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. Harrison was seemingly is in line to make his Red Sox debut, but it may not be in the role Boston fans were expecting.
After their 11-7 victory over the Guardians on Tuesday night, Alex Cora told reporters that Brennan Bernardino will serve as the opener for Wednesday's game. Many thought that could put Harrison in a spot to get a bulk appearance out of the bullpen for his Fenway Park debut. It would also seem that Dustin May will be an option out of the bullpen on Wednesday.
Throwing a wrench in the original plan for Harrison has been the fact that the prize pitching prospect from the Rafael Devers trade has been dealing with an ankle injury. Perhaps that's what caused the Red Sox to flip-flop and decide against bringing up Harrison.
Kyle Harrison’s existence at this point is purely hypothetical https://t.co/Fi4c8edDOS
— Hogdale (@Hogdale_) September 3, 2025
Red Sox pitching roles suddenly shift with roster expansion
Otherwise, Payton Tolle is expected to remain in the rotation, scheduled to start Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That leaves May as a swing man out of the bullpen. After having some success with the Red Sox in the immediate aftermath of being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers, May's ERA has ballooned to 5.68 through his last five starts since the deadline.
With Walker Buehler now with the Philadelphia Phillies and May relegated to the bullpen, it would seem that Harrison and Tolle will be the latest attempt by the Red Sox to solve the problems at the back end of their rotation. It may not be the last change before the end of the season, but Harrison's situation is a continued point of contention considering fans have been waiting for his debut since the infamous trade with the Giants.
In the meantime, everyone will have to deal with Bernardino and Zack Kelly. Sorry.