Even with the offseason additions of ace Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, the Boston Red Sox come into 2025 with plenty of starting pitching questions. In fairness, many of those have arisen from injuries. The team lost Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito to the injured list. They should not miss extended time, but the Red Sox’s depth will be tested early.

A recent update from Ian Browne of MLB.com has provided us with more clarity on the back of the rotation: Fitts to start in Mexico on Monday. All indications point to him breaking camp as the fourth starter. Newcomb appears to be slight favorite for five hole. — Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) March 21, 2025 Richard Fitts has been a name floating around on Opening Day, and it seems he will crack the initial rotation. The Auburn product made his MLB debut in 2024 for Boston and put on a show.

He started four games and went at least five innings with a 1.74 ERA over 20 and 2/3 innings. All four of his earned runs occurred in the exact outing, too. Even though Fitts did not rack up strikeouts (just nine during that stretch), he has demonstrated the ability to get out of jams and shutdown lineups. The 25-year-old will likely end up back in triple-A once Boston is fully healthy, but a strong start to 2025 could force the front office’s hand. The other emerging name is Sean Newcomb, a 31-year-old former Los Angeles Angels first-round pick. Newcomb has become a bit of a journeyman, with the Red Sox serving as his fourth different MLB stop since 2022

He has mostly bounced between the Big Leagues and triple-A, but a dominant spring training has him in line for starting duties. Newcomb has cruised through opposing batters over four starts and 14 and 1/3 innings with a 0.63 ERA, 0.837 WHIP, and a 4.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Quinn Priester is another minor leaguer who could serve in the Red Sox rotation this summer, but it appears that Fitts and Newcomb will get the first tries.