ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ranger Suarez was unable to pitch in the 2024 All-Star Game because of back stiffness, and there is a chance the Boston Red Sox left-hander will miss the July 14 event in Philadelphia because of a groin injury.
Suarez, named an American League All-Star on Saturday, left Sunday night’s 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels because of left-adductor tightness, an injury he said he suffered on a pitch to Jo Adell with two outs in the third inning.
Suarez probably aggravated the injury when he jumped for Adell’s chopper over the mound, a ball that went for an infield single. Interim manager Chad Tracy and a team trainer came to the mound, where Suarez threw one warmup pitch to test the leg before immediately heading for the visiting dugout.
“With that pitch that I threw, I felt a big pinch around the groin area,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I tried to throw another pitch, but I still felt it, so I came out.”
Suarez, who signed a five-year, $130-million free-agent deal with the Red Sox last winter, said he could not recall suffering a similar injury. He underwent treatment during the game but said the injury “felt the same” by the time he spoke to reporters 2 1/2 hours later.
Is the injured list a possibility?
“Yeah, it’s only been two hours,” said Suarez, who is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA this season. “The training staff wants to see how I feel tomorrow and the next day, and then we’ll make a decision on where we go from there.”
Tracy said the team will wait to see how Suarez feels in the next day or two before sending him out for an MRI test.
“Any time you see adductor, groin tightness, you’re always concerned,” Tracy said. “Sometimes things like this will pop up, then you check the next day, and they get better quickly. It’s hard to say right now until we see how he feels coming out of it (Monday).”
If Suarez goes on the injured list, Red Sox teammate Sonny Gray, who was not named to the All-Star team despite his 10-1 record and 2.61 ERA, could be added to the AL club.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about that,” Suarez said. “For me, the most important thing is to be as healthy as possible for the second half. I’m not thinking about anything other than that.”
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