Boston Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suárez has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain, the team announced Thursday. The injury is retroactive to Monday.
Suárez, who was selected to his second career All-Star Game, will miss the midsummer classic. The injury comes as a blow to the Red Sox, for whom Suárez has been a consistent performer, holding a 3.15 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 17 starts this season.
The timing of the injury means Suárez will miss his scheduled start before the All-Star break against the Mets at Citi Field. He expressed disappointment about missing the All-Star Game, especially since it is being held in Philadelphia, where he played for eight seasons with the Phillies.
"Obviously it doesn’t feel great [to miss the All-Star Game]," Suárez told reporters, per MLB.com. "I’m obviously sad. I wanted to be able to go there and represent my team, and also enjoy the moment. But I think the best thing for me is to take care of my body and that’s what I’m going to do."
Suárez stated he will not attend the All-Star festivities and will remain in Boston to begin his rehabilitation. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy acknowledged Suárez's status as an All-Star and emphasized the team's priority is his recovery. "At the end of the day, he is an All-Star," Tracy told MLB.com. "He’s been named an All-Star, so you love the players that make the All-Star team. You can’t take away from an All-Star season, and now our biggest objective is, let’s make sure we do the right thing and get him healthy and have him ready after the break."
Tracy also indicated that pitcher Sonny Gray could potentially take Suárez's place as an injury replacement in the All-Star Game. For a replacement in the Red Sox rotation, Tracy mentioned that Brayan Bello might be recalled from Triple-A Worcester.