Boston Red Sox' Key Hurler Makes Uneven Rehab Start as He Works His Way Back From Injury

Boston Red Sox' starter Nick Pivetta, who is working his way back from an elbow injury, made an uneasy rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on Thursday. Here's what he had to say after his performance.

Apr 3, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) delivers a / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Red Sox' hurler Nick Pivetta, who is working his way back from an elbow injury, made an uneven rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

The following comes from the Worcester Telegram:

The right-handed pitcher tossed three-plus innings, allowing three hits, four runs and four walks while striking out five across 62 pitches.

“Repertoire felt good, just wasn‘t throwing a ton of strikes,” said Pivetta, who threw 36 strikes and 26 balls. “But overall, health-wise, (I felt) good.” 

After walking the first two batters, Pivetta settled down and retired the next nine Lehigh Valley IronPig hitters. Pivetta, who was scheduled to toss between 60-65 pitches, then walked the first two batters in the fourth inning before being pulled by WooSox manager Chad Tracy.

“I have some mechanical adjustments to work on but we‘ll be fine,” Pivetta said.

The hope is that Pivetta needs only the one rehab start, and if that's the case, he'd line up to pitch early next week for Boston. We'll see if the uneven control leads Red Sox management to give him one more turn in Worcester, but when he returns, he'll be a big boost to a Red Sox' rotation that is already missing Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Garrett Whitlock as well.

The 31-year-old Canadian was off to a great start this year, going 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA through two starts. He's in the eighth year of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Red Sox, going 51-60 lifetime with a 4.81 ERA.

His stuff has ticked up over the last half of 2023 and into this year, so he should still be one of the more sought-after free agents in the 2025 offseason.