SerpApi.Org
Ranger Suarez was scheduled to make his return from a groin injury and be the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles.
About 1 p.m. ET, though, the Red Sox announced Suarez won't be making his scheduled start.
Instead, Eduardo Rivera will get the ball.
It doesn't sound like a major setback with Suarez, but instead just some caution.
"No substantial setback for Ranger Suarez, I’m told," wrote MassLive's Chris Cotillo in a post on X. "Red Sox felt like he pushed himself pretty hard testing the groin over the last couple days and wanted to give him at least another day."
MORE: A roller coaster win for 14 in a row
It's a bit of a bummer for Boston as getting Suarez back only added to the excitement in the midst of a 14-game winning streak.
Now, though, all attention turns to Rivera. The Red Sox will tie their franchise record winning streak with a victory, and so Rivera is in a huge spot.
The 6-foot-7 left-hander is still just 23 years old and will be making his fourth big league appearance (third start).
So far, Rivera has gone 9.1 innings at the MLB level and allowed three runs (2.89 ERA). He has walked four and struck out nine.
Rivera's longest outing was 3.2 innings on July 11. He then went 2.1 innings on July 17.
Suarez likely was going to be a bit limited innings-wise, although Rivera may have factored into that plan.
Now, the Red Sox will likely hope for three or four frames from Rivera and then hand it over to the bullpen.
Baltimore is starting the recently extended star Kyle Bradish (3.61 ERA), so Boston's offense is going to have a challenge on its hands, but the Red Sox will probably have to do a bit of hitting to win this game.
Rivera, for his part, could very well rise to the occasion. He's impressed so far, and this is his biggest opportunity yet.
