Red Sox's All-Star Starter Leaves Sunday's Game with Injury
Boston Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez was forced out of his start on Sunday night after suffering a lower body injury.
Suarez left the game with the training staff in the bottom of the third inning after he leapt off the mound to try to corral a bouncing ball up the middle. He hobbled gingerly around the mound after pushing off of his left leg to make a play on the ball above his head, eventually limping slowly back to the dugout after an unsuccessful warm-up toss.
According to the team as relayed by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Suarez is dealing with left adductor (groin) tightness. He had to miss some time earlier this year due to a hamstring injury, though he was able to avoid an IL stint.
Never a good day for the 2026 Red Sox. Ranger Suarez has left the game and he looks very uncomfortable.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) July 6, 2026
Just brutal timing with Connelly Early also going down. pic.twitter.com/4pTyoeBxoF
Before his exit, Suarez pitched 2.2 innings allowing six hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts on 53 pitches. He was replaced by right-hander Greg Weissert who was able to strand his starter's baserunner and protect the two-run lead into the fourth inning.
The injury comes just one day after it was announced that the first-year Red Sox starter was selected to appear in his second career All-Star Game. This, of course, puts his participation there in Philadelphia next week in jeopardy.
Suarez has been tremendous for Boston since coming in on a five-year, $150 million contract in the offseason. The 30-year-old hurler holds a 3.15 ERA across 17 starts, second to only Sonny Gray (2.61 ERA) in the Red Sox's rotation.
After an incredible stretch of 12 straight quality starts from Sox starters, the club has now seen two key cogs suffer injuries of relatively unknown significance. Connelly Early, who had to exit his last start with elbow discomfort, is seeking a second opinion this week while on the 15-day IL.
Rookie left-handers' Payton Tolle (3.39 ERA) and Jake Bennett (3.10 ERA) have kept them afloat after an early injury to ace Garrett Crochet, but there are only so many more options lying in wait for this rotation. Patrick Sandoval appears to be the top candidate to replace Early next time around as he finished up a rehab assignment, but if Suarez is unable to make his next start the Red Sox may have to turn to the less-than-ideal measure of bringing Brayan Bello (4.34 ERA in four Triple-A starts) back up to start.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 8:29 PM.