Pomeranz will start Tuesday against the Phillies, but is not guaranteed a spot in the rotation beyond this start, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
Pomeranz recently came off the disabled and was less than impressive in a start last Tuesday, when he didn't hit the zone consistently and the velocity of his fastball averaged 88.46 mph. Tuesday's start is pivotal to his role going forward. "Drew is pitching, then after that we've got the off days and all of that, so, [Brian Johnson's] doing an outstanding job just kind of like Steven Wright early in the season," manager Alex Cora said. "We feel very comfortable. But, obviously, we got Drew that just came out of the rehab, so he'll pitch and we'll go from there." The left-hander was a very effective pitcher for the Red Sox going down the stretch last year, but injuries have limited him to nine starts with a ghastly 6.91 ERA. With Johnson, who has recently pitched well as a starter, the acquisition of Nathan Eovaldi, and Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) increasing his activity, Pomeranz could be looking at a bullpen role over the final two months of the regular season.