Red Sox make alarming Ranger Suarez pivot after losing key relief depth to 60-day IL

As the Boston Red Sox on July 21 seek franchise history that could be secured with their 15th consecutive win, they suffered a blow to their chances: Ranger Suarez will not start the second game of their series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Suarez has since July 6 been on the injured list with a groin issue. Boston anticipated from the jump that his IL stint would be short and, following its June 20 win against the Orioles, it had been reported that Suarez would start the following day. But there's been a chance of plans.

Hours before first pitch on July 21, insider Ari Alexander of 7News Boston reported that Eduardo Rivera was listed as the starter for the evening, not Suarez. Christopher Smith of MassLive suggests that the Sox are giving him an extra day of rest after he threw a bullpen session to prove his health on July 20.

While it would be great to have the All-Star Suarez (3.15 ERA, 1.16 WHIP over 91.1 innings) back as soon as possible, Rivera has been solid for the Sox in his three appearances with the team. He's allowed three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and four walks over 9.1 innings of work. The Red Sox have won both games he started in July, though he didn't pitch more than 3.2 innings in either appearance.

Red Sox announce Eduardo Rivera as July 21 starter rather than Ranger Suarez and add reliever Zack Kelly to 60-day IL

Before their evening matchup with the O's, the Red Sox also moved reliever Zack Kelly to the 60-day IL. The move opens a 40-man roster spot, leaving Boston's roster at 39 players. Kelly has been in Triple-A since May 22 but he still represents and key depth arm for the Sox as they make a playoff push.

Kelly has been dealing with elbow inflammation since July 7, when he was initially placed on the seven-day IL. Before his injury, he'd posted a 5.71 ERA over 17.1 innings with the WooSox and a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings with the big league team.

The Red Sox are short on pitching depth with Suarez on the IL as well as Garrett Crochet, Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early and Kutter Crawford. Brayan Bello has been moved to a relief role since his struggles in the big league rotation and he's performed quite well there in his lone appearance — Boston could rely on him more with Kelly out of the picture, though the latter pitcher hasn't played much in the major leagues this year.

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This article was originally published on bosoxinjection.com as Red Sox make alarming Ranger Suarez pivot after losing key relief depth to 60-day IL.