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Oviedo has been on the 60-day injured list since March with a right elbow strain but has been inching closer to a return. His start on Thursday will be as an opener for John Holobetz, so Oviedo is unlikely to pitch more than one inning, but he does have a few weeks to present himself as a potential bullpen option for the Red Sox in the playoffs.

Add another arm into the mix of potential postseason relief options for the Red Sox. Oviedo hit the injured list with a flexor strain back in early April and hasn’t really been heard from ever since. It sounds like there’s a chance he could contribute in the playoffs, but that’ll likely come down to how healthy the rest of Boston’s bullpen is.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster for rookie Jack Anderson. Oviedo hit the shelf with a flexor strain earlier this month and will be sidelined until at least early June, if not longer.

The move will clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Jack Anderson, who will be called up Tuesday. Oviedo has a flexor strain and isn’t expect to start throwing until the middle of May. The move to the 60-day list doesn’t change his timeline at all.

As of now, the Red Sox are hoping that rest will “calm down” the inflammation, but there remains a chance that Oviedo will eventually have to undergo surgery. We should have more clarity by the end of May.

This has been coming for a couple of weeks now. Oviedo’s velocity was way down in his final spring training appearance and remained down during the regular season. He has already had one major elbow surgery, so there is some elevated concern here. He will visit with Dr. Keith Meister on Monday to compare MRI results with the ones taken when Dr. Meister performed Oviedo’s Tommy John surgery in 2023. This is a tough break for a pitcher who recently seemed primed to win a spot in the Red Sox rotation.

Oviedo might have hit his spring dead-arm period at a bad time for Boston, as his velocity tonight was down 2-3 mph from last year. Alternatively, maybe he’s just not comfortable pitching in relief. Regardless, the Red Sox should take advantage of his option years and bring up a fresh arm. He’s going to need a few days off after throwing 72 pitches tonight.

It gets worse. Oviedo’s velocity was down over two mph on every one of his pitches, and his four-seam fastball averaged just 92.9 mph, which is significantly down from the near 96 mph mark he’s shown all spring. He also allowed eight hard-hit baseballs in this one and a 96.1 mph average exit velocity. As of now, there is no indication that the 28-year-old is dealing with any injury, and he mentioned after the game that his execution was “off” as he continues to work on new pitches, including his cutter. Considering Oviedo has minor league options left, this was not a great time for a poor outing and could open the door for Connelly Early to steal the final rotation spot.

Oviedo struck out five and posted a 23 percent whiff rate and 30 percent CSW; however, he also walked three and threw just 57 percent of his pitches for strikes. The upside is that Oviedo had a 67 percent first pitch strike rate with his four-seam fastball, so he didn’t really struggle to get ahead of hitters; he just couldn’t execute with his breaking stuff as often as he would have liked after he did. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible start for Oviedo, and he remains the favorite to open the season as Boston’s fifth starter.

The game was called in the bottom of the sixth. Oviedo, who was facing a Rays lineup without any projected starters, went without a walk today, even though he threw first-pitch strikes to just four of the 12 batters he faced. He also had a just a 21% CSW. It’s a really nice outing in the box score, but a major league lineup probably would have fared better against him.

Oveido allowed just one hard-hit ball, that being a 96.7-mph groundball single to George Springer. He also walked none after giving up three in his spring debut last week. Oviedo is the current favorite to open up as Boston’s fifth starter with Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval seemingly due to spend the first of April on the IL.

Command has been an issue for Oviedo during his career, so this is nothing new. It’s also nothing to worry much about after one spring training outing. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.3 mph, and his off-speed pitches flashed the plus movement we’ve seen in the past. However, if Oviedo can’t throw strikes with his fastball, then it’s unlikely to amount to much of anything.

The Red Sox traded for Oviedo this offseason and figure to slot him into the back end of their rotation this season. Ovedio missed 2024 after Tommy John surgery and returned last year to post a 3.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 42/23 K/BB ratio in 40 1/3 innings. He needs to be more consistent with his command, but Oviedo has the foundation to be a solid mid-rotation starting pitcher for Boston next season at a cheap cost.

Oviedo strengthens the back end of Boston’s rotation and still possesses the kind of mid-rotation upside that surfaces whenever he’s actually in the strike zone. The 27-year-old righty owns a respectable 4.24 ERA and 20.2 percent strikeout rate across 361 major-league innings since 2020. He represents a worthwhile gamble for the Red Sox since he’s under team control through 2027 and allows them to bolster their pitching staff without sacrificing any of their established big-league outfield depth. He could make a real leap if he throws strikes more consistently given the quality of his arsenal, but he’s unlikely to be rostered in most fantasy formats to open next season.

The 27-year-old Oviedo missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then was delayed to start 2025 with a lat strain. However, he posted a 3.57 ERA in nine starts in 2025 while showing off an upper-90s fastball and improved shapes on his two-seam and four-seam fastball. Pair that with a slider that has been a plus pitch for him, and teams see the makings of a solid back-of-the-rotation starter. Rosenthal reports that the Pirates would much rather trade Mitch Keller and his $54.5 million salary over the next three years, but both right-handers are names to watch this offseason.

Oviedo, 27, gave up both runs in the first inning on a homer by Ronald Acuña Jr. After that, the right-hander was solid; albeit in a game where he received no run support. Oviedo finishes with an ERA of 3.57 in 2025 with a 42/23 K/BB over nine starts. If he’s still with Pittsburgh, he’ll compete for a spot at the back of their rotation in 2026.

Oviedo was pulled with a 4-2 lead after walking TJ Friedl with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth. Friedl was then caught stealing to end the inning, which meant that Dauri Moreta, who didn’t come back out for the sixth, ended his night with one out recorded and no batters retired. Oviedo probably won’t pitch again this weekend, as the Pirates have handled him carefully in his return from Tommy John. He ends up 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings in eight starts. Given his arbitration status and the Pirates’ pitching depth, he’s someone who could be involved in trade talks this winter.

Oviedo was solid for four of the five innings, and while an 80 percent success rate is good for a lot of things in life, its not ideal for a starting pitcher; especially when that one bad inning is a four-run first. Oviedo allowed five hits, walked three and struck out three in the mediocre — at best — effort. He’ll try and find the form that was so good in his previous few outings against the Reds on Thursday.

Oviedo allowed single runs in the first two innings, but the kept the Orioles quiet the rest of the way. He’s 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in five starts since moving into the rotation last month. The Pirates have to be feeling pretty good about their starting pitching depth going into 2026. It’s just a matter of whether they’ll use any of it to try to improve their anemic offense. Oviedo will face the Cubs next week.