Starter 3: Jonathan Cannon
He was outstanding in his last outing against the Royals. Cannon has shown this season that at a minimum, he should be a very solid fourth starter.
At his best, he has proven he can be a possible No. 2 starter in the rotation.
Starter 4: Davis Martin
He had a couple of solid starts in 2022 before his 2023 season was wiped out after he needed Tommy John surgery.
Martin just came off the injured list and will be given the first crack to replace Fedde in the rotation. Rightfully so as he was slated before his arm injury last year to get a shot at the rotation or be the first player called up to fill a spot in case of an injury.
Starter 5: Mason Adams or Ky Bush
Honestly, you could put Jake Eder here, or even give Nick Nastrini another crack at the starting rotation too. The fifth spot should be given to one of the many promising arms the Sox have in their farm system instead of running out Flexen every five days.
Eder got the most recent call-up however it was only for a game. He has struggled at Triple-A. However, do not panic as Charlotte is one of the toughest minor league parks to pitch in. Nastrini continues to battle command issues that got him sent back to Triple-A twice this season.
Really, it is just coin flip between Bush or Adams. Bush provides another left-hander in the rotation. He pitched great at Double-A and earned a promotion to Triple-A. Adams has also been outstanding at Double-A.
Adams has a curve and a slider with excellent spin on them. Sox pitching guru Brian Bannister has preached that righties who can spin the ball with sink have success at Guaranteed Rate.
Do not expect the Sox to call up their top pitching prospect, Noah Schultz. They have had a strict development plan where he has pitched every Saturday for no more than four innings at Birmingham. It is a great way to have him work on his command and build up his arm to be ready for next season.