Red Sox Starter Suffers Torn ACL in First Game After IL Stint

The Boston Red Sox announced on Saturday morning that rookie starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins suffered a torn right ACL during Friday’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The team placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list and called up fellow righty starter Richard Fitts to take Dobbins’ place on the roster.

Dobbins had just come off the IL on Friday after missing three weeks due to an elbow strain.

MassLive’s Chris Cotillo first reported on Saturday morning that the 25-year-old was likely facing a “lengthy” absence due to a “significant” knee injury.

Dobbins went down with one out in the top of the second inning of Friday night’s victory after covering first base on a grounder off the bat of Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson. Dobbins hit the bag “hard” and “began limping as manager Alex Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry rushed onto the field,” per Cotillo.

The 2021 eighth-round draft pick attempted to remain in the contest and tried a warm-up pitch before being removed.

Dobbins’ injury is likely season-ending and if that’s the case, he ends his rookie campaign 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA and 45 strikeouts across 61 innings pitched over 12 games (10 starts).

Fitts was sent down to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday to make room for Dobbins’ return. Fitts has gone 1-3 with a 4.28 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings (eight starts) in 2025.