The Boston Red Sox have been one of the more surprising teams in the MLB to start the 2024 campaign. They've raced out to a 7-3 record over their first ten games, and a big reason why that's been the case is because of their starting rotation turning in strong start after strong start. Unfortunately, it looks like the team has been dealt a pretty big injury blow with Nick Pivetta.

In a young starting rotation, Pivetta is the veteran of the group, and he turned in a pair of very strong starts to open the year, giving up just one total run over his 11 innings of work while striking out 13 batters in the process. After his latest outing against the Oakland Athletics, it appears Pivetta felt some pain in his elbow, and he has been diagnosed with a right elbow flexor strain, which will result in a trip to the 15-day injured list.

Via Boston Red Sox:

“The Red Sox today placed RHP Nick Pivetta on the 15-Day Injured List, retroactive to April 6, with a right elbow flexor strain. To fill Pivetta’s spot on the active roster, the club recalled LHP Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Worcester.”

Red Sox hoping Nick Pivetta can return as soon as possible

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the second inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

After already having lost star shortstop Trevor Story to the injured list with a shoulder injury, this is another big loss for Boston. While their other starters have all gotten off to strong starts, Pivetta was sort of the anchor of the rotation given his veteran standing with the team. Now, he'll hit the sidelines as he works on recovering from this injury as quickly as possible.

In his absence, the Sox are turning to Brennan Bernardino to fill the void. Bernardino spent most of the 2023 campaign in the majors with the Sox, and put up some strong numbers working in a bit of a do-it-all role for the team (2-1, 3.20 ERA, 58 K, 1.30 WHIP). Bernardino started six games, but spent most of his time in the bullpen, which is a role the team could opt to return him to.

If Bernardino isn't the guy starting games, Boston could turn to Chase Anderson or Josh Winckowski, both of whom currently are in the bullpen. Anderson has been a starter for most of his career, while Winckowski started 14 games for the team back in 2022 before settling into a more consistent bullpen role in 2023.

While the team has options, their hope is that Pivetta's stint on the injured list isn't a lengthy one. Of course, with all the pitcher elbow injuries popping up across the league, everyone will also be hoping this doesn't end up becoming more serious than initially expected. This is a big blow for a Boston team that has been pretty hot to start the season, and they will be hard-pressed to find a way to replace Pivetta for however long he is forced to miss.