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Red Sox Newcomer Comments On Surprising Velocity Drop In Rough Debut originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox debuted two of their new offseason pitching acquisitions, Ranger Suarez and Johan Oviedo, on Monday, and neither one was great.
The plan was for Oviedo to piggyback Suarez's start since Suarez was not completely built up after missing time in spring training for the World Baseball Classic. Oviedo was initially supposed to be in the rotation, but Suarez and Brayan Bello not being ready forced Alex Cora to use him for length out of the bullpen, with Connelly Early pitching in the rotation.
Suarez went 4 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs. He issued one walk and had just three strikeouts. Oviedo went 3 2/3 innings, allowing four more runs. He also only had three strikeouts. Both issued one walk and gave up two home runs apiece. Suarez's track record gives fans some reason to think he will bounce back, but Oviedo is still relatively unproven.
Oviedo missed all of 2024 and most of 2025. He made 32 starts in 2023, but had a 4.31 ERA. In nine starts last season, he looked good, posting a 3.57. He was good enough for the Red Sox to trade for him, but he is not off to a strong start. Notably, his velocity is down. He threw 25 four-seam fastballs on Monday, averaging 93 miles per hour. His four-seamer averaged 95.5 miles per hour last season. He's just as shocked as fans might be.
“I’m surprised like probably everyone else,” Oviedo said after the game, per MassLive's Christopher Smith.
“My body felt good,” Oviedo continued. “Just gotta look back to see what we’re missing, especially with the velo.”
The drop in velocity definitely played a role in a rough outing. When Suarez and Bello are built up, the Red Sox will have to decide if they want to send Early down to Triple-A and start Oviedo, like they originally planned. If Oviedo is struggling and Early looks good, there could be a problem for Oviedo.
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