Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez exits game with hamstring injury

Hitting continues to start the Red Sox rotation.

Veteran southpaw Ranger Suarez was the latest to feel the sting of the injury on Sunday, as Boston pulled the lefty from the Red Sox’s eventual 3-1 loss to Houston after just four scoreless innings due to tightness in his right hamstring.

Suarez threw 70 pitches over those four innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three.

Speaking after Boston’s extra-inning loss, Suarez expressed hope that he would make his next start and avoid a trip to the injured list.

“Last year, I suffered something similar. I didn’t waste any time,” Suarez said through translator Carlos Viloria Benitez. Per Chris Smith of MassLive. “So I hope I don’t miss any time.”

An MRI has not currently been scheduled for Suarez, who will not travel with the team to Detroit for Boston’s upcoming three-game series against the Tigers.

“He’s not making the trip just because he’s not pitching,” interim manager Chad Tracy said of Suarez’s situation, per Smith. “So they will keep him with our medical staff and we will see in the next couple of days where we are.”

Suarez has been one of the few bright spots on a disappointing Red Sox roster so far this season. The 30-year-old lefty, who signed a five-year, $130 million contract with Boston earlier this year, has a 2.77 ERA over seven appearances with his new club.

Boston’s starting rotation — a part of the roster that was expected to be a pillar of strength for a 13-21 ballclub — has been hampered this season by numerous injuries.

Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray both landed on the IL over the past two weeks with shoulder inflammation and hamstring tightness, respectively.

There are also other options for Boston players such as Johan Oviedo (flexor strain), Cotter Crawford (elbow/forearm), and Patrick Sandoval (internal brace surgery).

It was another frustrating day at Fenway Park for the Red Sox other than just Suarez’s injury, as Boston was 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving a total of 13 men on base en route to another loss.

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.