Before their series finale against the San Francisco Giants on June 22, the Boston Red Sox offered unfortunate updates on two starting pitchers.
The Red Sox first gave word that something may be amiss hours before the game when Tommy Cassell of The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that Richard Fitts was en route to San Francisco to join the taxi squad. Shortly after, Boston moved Hunter Dobbins to the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
Red Sox move Hunter Dobbins to 15-day IL, Richard Fitts to take his place in rotation
Fitts began the season in Boston's rotation, but after he sustained a pectoral strain in mid-April, Dobbins became the go-to depth arm for the rotation. Dobbins has posted a 4.10 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks over 59.1 innings with the Red Sox this season. His best start of the year came on June 14, when he pitched six, two-hit innings against the Yankees amid some drama over a story he told of his dad's past.
Fitts has logged a 4.71 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks over 21 innings this year. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues since June 2, when the Angels rocked him for five runs on four hits in just one inning.
Red Sox shut Kutter Crawford down with wrist pain, send him to Boston for MRI
The Red Sox gave another unfortunate update on the rotation over the weekend. Boston shut Kutter Crawford down on June 21 with wrist pain. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports that Crawford has been rehabbing in Fort Myers, but he'll head to Boston for an MRI.
Crawford has been sidelined since the beginning of the season with patellar tendinopathy. In late May, the righty progressed to throwing live batting practice sessions and seemed close to pitching in game action. Now, if his wrist injury is serious, there could be a real possibility the Red Sox don't use him all year.
Masataka Yoshida may soon be ready for rehab assignment, could join Red Sox before stint officially ends
Amid the rough pitching updates, Boston shared a positive sign for rehabbing outfielder Masataka Yoshida. After the Rafael Devers trade opened the Sox's designated hitter spot, they may be open to bringing Yoshida back into action faster than initially planned.
Manager Alex Cora mentioned that Yoshida may be ready to go on a rehab assignment soon, but he didn't share an exact date. Cora said Yoshida has advanced so far through his recovery that he may not need the full 20 days of a rehab assignment before he's ready to join the team.
Yoshida's bat will certainly be of assistance to the Red Sox who tend to strike out far more than they should. Yoshida is slashing .285/.343/.433 over his first two seasons with Boston, and he ranked in the 97th percentile in strikeout percentage in 2024.