Should Red Sox Fans Be Worried About New Additions' Early Struggles?
One of the Red Sox's offseason additions struggled greatly in his team debut on Monday. Is there cause for concern?
Should Red Sox Fans Be Worried About New Additions' Early Struggles? originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Boston Red Sox 's new pitching additions have had a hard time early in the 2026 season. Neither Sonny Gray nor Ranger Suarez was able to complete five innings in their first start of 2026, allowing four runs each. Suarez was piggybacked on Monday by fellow acquisition Johan Oviedo, who was brought in via trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the offseason.
Oviedo was coming off a season in which he posted a 3. 57 ERA over 40 1/3 innings after returning from injury. Oviedo struggled in relief of Suarez.
He pitched the final 3 2/3 innings of the Red Sox's 8-1 loss to the Houston Astros, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk. While the rotation is deep, many analysts tabbed Oviedo for a breakout season, in part due to his fastball. On Monday, the fastball wasn't as advertised.