Ranger Suarez left Sunday night’s game at Anaheim in the bottom of the third inning with a leg injury, a jolt for the Red Sox one day after his selection to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. He tried to keep going, but the night ended with a stiff walk to the visitors’ dugout.
Anaheim exit in third
Suarez took a sideways hop while trying to snag a choppy comebacker from Angels right-fielder Jo Adell, then landed oddly as Adell reached first with a two-out single. He later tried to throw a warmup pitch, but the attempt was brief. The left-hander grimaced as he walked back, and the sequence ended his outing after 2 2/3 innings.
Red Sox rotation pressure
The Red Sox now have another left-handed starter in question while Connelly Early is already on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Early is set to fly to Arlington, Texas this week for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, and that leaves the club thinner on the mound with six games remaining before the All-Star break after Monday’s off-day.
Suarez had been one of the most effective arms in the rotation before leaving Anaheim. In 17 starts, he has a 3.15 ERA, 97 strikeouts and 91 1/3 innings, and Sunday night he had already logged five strikeouts while allowing three earned runs on six hits with zero walks in 53 pitches, 37 of them for strikes. The performance was strong enough to keep him in position for the All-Star Game, but not long enough to finish the night.
Six games before the break
The schedule now becomes the immediate pressure point. The Red Sox have three games in Chicago against the White Sox and three games in New York against the Mets before the break, and the club will have to sort out who can take the ball if Suarez cannot come back quickly. Patrick Sandoval is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester, while Brayan Bello was demoted at the beginning of June, leaving fewer ready options as the rotation absorbs another hit.
Ranger Suarez starts as Nationals vs Red Sox opens at Fenway Park now reads differently after Sunday night’s exit. The next stretch is less about the All-Star nod and more about whether the Red Sox can cover the innings they just lost.
