William Cuevas is going to make his first career major league start Friday night — opposite Noah Syndergaard.
The Red Sox announced Friday afternoon that scheduled starter Hector Velazquez has been scratched due to illness. The 27-year-old Cuevas will start against the New York Mets at Fenway Park in his place.
Cuevas bounced back and forth between Boston and Pawtucket a couple of times this season before being added to the major league roster when rosters expanded at the beginning of the month.
Cuevas has appeared just twice in this most recent tour of duty, allowing two earned runs over 4 1/3 innings. He’s been able to miss some bats during that time, striking out eight of the 23 batters he’s faced.
