Red Sox Make Surprising Roster Move Amid West Coast Trip

The Boston Red Sox swapped out members of their rotation amid a nine-game road trip.

Hunter Dobbins was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain (retroactive to June 21) on Sunday. Richard Fitts was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take his place both on the active roster and in the rotation.

Why?

Dobbins has been good, but with a small elbow ailment and a recent drop in velocity it made sense to extend his time between starts. The Red Sox were facing a schedule quirk that had him slated to him start on just four days rest, so in replacing one young pitcher with another, they avoid putting too much strain on the rotation.

Dobbins, 25, has a 4.10 ERA across 12 total appearances (10 starts) in 2025.

Fitts, 24, has a 4.71 ERA across five appearances (all starts) of his own, and is coming off a tremendous start that capped off a three-game stint in the minor leagues.