The battle for the fifth spot in the Boston Red Sox's rotation is underway, and the latest reports say that offseason trade addition Johan Oviedo is the frontrunner for the job. Conelly Early and Payton Tolle are the other options, while rehabbing starters Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are not among them.
Crawford and Sandoval are still recovering from injuries and surgeries that kept them out of action for the entire 2025 season. Crawford came to spring training 2025 with patellar tendonitis and later developed a wrist issue that required season-ending surgery. Sandoval underwent UCL surgery in the middle of the 2024 season.