Richard Fitts’ injury caused a hole in the Boston Red Sox starting rotation when they return to Fenway Park on Friday to start a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox.

And it looks like the Red Sox plan to plug the gap with a pitching prospect that already left a good first impression this season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters prior to Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays that there’s a chance Hunter Dobbins will fill the open spot in the rotation, according to the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr. Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler are lined up to pitch the other games in the series.

Dobbins, who was an eighth-round pick by Boston in 2021 out of Texas Tech, made his MLB debut with the Red Sox on April 6 in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 25-year-old right-hander displayed a strong mid-90s fastball that topped out at 97 mph and earned the win after allowing two runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

The Red Sox returned Dobbins back to Triple-A Worcester following that start and he struggled in his last outing with the WooSox by letting up three runs on four hits in three innings.

The Red Sox named Dobbins their Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2024 after he went 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 25 starts between Double-A Portland and Worcester. Dobbins is listed as the Red Sox’s No. 4 pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline.

It will likely just be a quick spot start for Dobbins with the Red Sox as Brayan Bello probably will be activated off the injured list next week.