This Red Sox Pitcher Will Begin Season In Starting Rotation
The Boston Red Sox are putting their renewed pitching depth to the test early this season.
Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford will all start the season on the injured list. That opens up two spots in the Red Sox starting rotation behind Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler.
The No. 5 spot is still up for grabs, but Alex Cora told reporters Friday night that Richard Fitts will take the No. 4 spot to begin the season, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Fitts improved his velocity and got up to 99 MPH with his fastball this spring. He went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in five appearances, three of which were starts, in Grapefruit League play. Fitts struck out 14 hitters in 14 2/3 innings for the Red Sox.
He made his MLB debut late last season and looked strong as a spot starter for the Red Sox. He closed out his first full season in the organization on a high note after Boston acquired him in the Alex Verdugo trade with the New York Yankees.
Quinn Priester and Sean Newcomb each make sense for the final rotation spot behind Fitts until Boston’s other starters are healthy.
The schedule has Fitts on track to pitch the series finale against the Texas Rangers in the first series of the regular season on March 30.
