The Boston Red Sox are back home at Fenway Park for their opening home series of the 2026 season. The team will be taking on a rare opponent, one that fans in New England are not accustomed to seeing. The San Diego Padres are in town, which means the return of a popular name and World Series champion, Xander Bogaerts.
Bogaerts will certainly get a tribute of some sort during this series. What he helped accomplish won't ever be forgotten in Beantown.
For the Red Sox, they are off to a very rough start to the season. They are just 1-5 so far after winning just the first game of the season against the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds would still win the series, and then the Houston Astros swept the Sox right after that. This team needs to get back on the right track for this upcoming homestand.
Ahead of the home opener, the reports are saying that starting pitcher Johan Oviedo is headed to the IL with a right elbow strain. That is not good news. Here is more on the report from Chris Cotillo.
“Johan Oviedo is likely going to see Dr. Meister to compare MRIs and see if they can explain what’s going on. Obviously, the velocity drop is concerning.”
When your velocity drops like that, it usually points to a sign that a certain surgery may be on the horizon. Every pitcher hopes to avoid Tommy John surgery, but it has become very common, unfortunately.
Stay tuned for more updates on this concerning injury from Oviedo.
Sonny Gray takes on Michael King in a few hours at Fenway Park.
