Johan

Oviedo

Oviedo might have hit his spring dead-arm period at a bad time for Boston, as his velocity tonight was down 2-3 mph from last year. Alternatively, maybe he’s just not comfortable pitching in relief. Regardless, the Red Sox should take advantage of his option years and bring up a fresh arm. He’s going to need a few days off after throwing 72 pitches tonight.

Cotillo mentions that Boston will re-assess after a few weeks, but Early has been named the starter for Sunday’s game against the Reds, and Oviedo will begin the season as a piggyback option behind starting pitchers like Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello, who have not been built up to the same pitch count as Boston’s other starters. Early was a revelation in a small sample size last year and has the ability to be a true breakout this season, so he is a must add if he’s still available on your fantasy baseball waiver wires. Oviedo has mentioned struggling with the feel of some new pitches that Boston is adding, so keeping him in shorter stints in the bullpen makes some sense. He also has a good slider and a strong fastball with poor command, so a bullpen role might be best for him long-term as well.

It became a foregone conclusion once pitching prospect Payton Tolle was optioned to the minors that Early and Oviedo will have roles with the Red Sox. It’s a bit unclear which one is going to land the final spot in Boston’s rotation and who will be pitching out of the bullpen. Early offers significantly higher fantasy upside based on his impressive late-season cameo last year but he’s also more likely to head back to the minors once Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are fully stretched out.

The decision leaves Connelly Early and Johan Oviedo as the fifth and sixth options in Boston’s rotation mix. Tolle did almost everything possible to prove he belongs in the big leagues with a strong Grapefruit League showing that included a 2.53 ERA and 13/1 K/BB ratio across 10 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect would’ve likely been ticketed for a long relief role at the start of the regular season so he’ll instead remain stretched out as a traditional starter on the doorstep of the majors until a more permanent opportunity arises. He’ll be worth rostering in all fantasy formats based on his strikeout upside once he gets a real chance.

It gets worse. Oviedo’s velocity was down over two mph on every one of his pitches, and his four-seam fastball averaged just 92.9 mph, which is significantly down from the near 96 mph mark he’s shown all spring. He also allowed eight hard-hit baseballs in this one and a 96.1 mph average exit velocity. As of now, there is no indication that the 28-year-old is dealing with any injury, and he mentioned after the game that his execution was “off” as he continues to work on new pitches, including his cutter. Considering Oviedo has minor league options left, this was not a great time for a poor outing and could open the door for Connelly Early to steal the final rotation spot.

Oviedo struck out five and posted a 23 percent whiff rate and 30 percent CSW; however, he also walked three and threw just 57 percent of his pitches for strikes. The upside is that Oviedo had a 67 percent first pitch strike rate with his four-seam fastball, so he didn’t really struggle to get ahead of hitters; he just couldn’t execute with his breaking stuff as often as he would have liked after he did. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible start for Oviedo, and he remains the favorite to open the season as Boston’s fifth starter.

The game was called in the bottom of the sixth. Oviedo, who was facing a Rays lineup without any projected starters, went without a walk today, even though he threw first-pitch strikes to just four of the 12 batters he faced. He also had a just a 21% CSW. It’s a really nice outing in the box score, but a major league lineup probably would have fared better against him.

Oveido allowed just one hard-hit ball, that being a 96.7-mph groundball single to George Springer. He also walked none after giving up three in his spring debut last week. Oviedo is the current favorite to open up as Boston’s fifth starter with Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval seemingly due to spend the first of April on the IL.

Command has been an issue for Oviedo during his career, so this is nothing new. It’s also nothing to worry much about after one spring training outing. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.3 mph, and his off-speed pitches flashed the plus movement we’ve seen in the past. However, if Oviedo can’t throw strikes with his fastball, then it’s unlikely to amount to much of anything.

Tolle served up a two-out homer to Royce Lewis in the opening frame before responding with a flawless second inning to close out a strong spring debut. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect averaged a crisp 96.5 mph on his fastball in this one. He’s technically in the mix for the final spot in Boston’s season-opening rotation, but that spot seems likely to go to a veteran arm like Johan Oviedo or Kutter Crawford. Tolle offers enough strikeout potential that he should remain on fantasy manager’s radar screens as an in-season pickup.