Red Sox Reveal Pitching Plans For Monday With Rotation Opening

Walker Buehler’s move to the bullpen left the Boston Red Sox with an opening in the rotation on Monday.

The team refused to name a starter early and instead opted to see how the series finale against the New York Yankees went before making a decision.

After the game, the team announced that Brennan Bernardino would be the opener for Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. They didn’t explicitly name a “bulk guy,” but Richard Fitts will likely follow Bernardino.

Bernardino has started 10 games in his career. He’s thrown 14 1/3 innings and registered a 1.26 ERA in starts. In 2025, he’s made one start and didn’t allow a run over 1 2/3 innings.

The lefty threw 1 1/3 innings in Boston’s 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday. This season, when working on back-to-back days, Bernardino has a 4.70 ERA.

Berardino’s longest outing for the Red Sox this season is 2 1/3 innings. He typically maxes out at two innings. They’ll need length after him, and Richard Fitts is the likely candidate to fill that role.

Fitts hasn’t pitched since being recalled to work out of the bullpen. He warmed up on Sunday, but never entered the game after a Red Sox rally was stopped early. The righty has a 4.83 ERA over 41 innings this season.