Two hours before Tuesday’s home opener, the Red Sox announced that they’d placed Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with a right-elbow flexor strain.

The move, which is retroactive to Apr. 6, is a surprising and crushing blow for the Sox. Since arriving in Boston at the 2020 trade deadline, Pivetta has been the club’s healthiest starting pitcher by far. Between ’21-’23, he pitched in 102 regular-season games, including 79 starts, averaging 26 starts and 159 innings per year. In ’22, his 33 starts tied for the Major League lead.

The right-hander, 31, dominated in his first two starts of the season, striking out 13, walking one, and only giving up a solo home run in 11 innings of work.

To fill Pivetta’s spot on the active roster, the Sox have recalled Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A. The left-hander, who pitched 2 1/3 innings for Seattle in his brief ’22 debut, was a steadying force on Boston’s pitching staff last year, making 55 appearances, including six starts (as an opener) and eight games finished. Over 50 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.20 ERA with 58 strikeouts, 18 earned runs and 18 walks.