Red Sox Pitching Decisions Go Beyond Connelly Early

So, technically, the Red Sox haven't announced who will be in that third spot in the rotation for the first time through. Oviedo has been the favorite for the job all throughout camp and has done nothing short of making his case. Oviedo has appeared in four big league games so far in camp and has a 1.59 ERA in 11 1/3 innings pitched. He has pitched well enough to fend off both Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, although they have both been lights-out in camp and Boston hasn't sent them down to the minors. Of the two, Early has been the guy who has made his case the most for an Opening Day job. He has pitched in five games and has a 1.59 ERA so far in 17 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts.

The young lefty fired five innings of one-hit ball against the New York Yankees in his latest push for a rotation spot while striking out seven.

It's a good question to have. There are few — if any — teams in baseball right now with as much pitching depth as Boston. One thing that is true is that the club is going to have even more decisions to make in the not-so-distant future. For example, MLB.com's Ian Browne reported that both Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval "could factor" into the rotation in April.

"Adding further intrigue is the presence of veterans Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval, who also got action on the backfields on Wednesday," Browne wrote. "While Crawford and Sandoval both missed all of last season due to injuries and won’t be stretched out enough for the start of the season, they could factor into the rotation at some point in April."

April is just a few weeks away at this point. So, Boston already has a tough decision over the next few days and then in a few weeks will have to think about it again. Or at least there could be options that make Boston think about it. Also, both Crawford and Sandoval have been talked about as potential bullpen options, but the club hasn't committed to the idea just yet. That's another thing to watch.

Unless someone is moved to the bullpen, it sounds like by the time April gets here, the Red Sox will have two more starter options bringing the grand total of legit, big-league-level starters to nine for the organization. With all of the injuries that popped up last year in the rotation, Boston is making sure it's covered all over the place.