The Red Sox announces a few roster moves today, with right-hander Garrett Whitlock placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, retroactive to July 3. Left-hander James Paxton was placed on the paternity list while pitchers Brandon Walter and Tayler Scott were recalled in corresponding moves.
Whitlock started Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays but departed after just one inning due to elbow tightness. Sean McAdam of MassLive reported yesterday that Whitlock would likely land on the IL but that the club wasn’t overly concerned with the nature of the injury. With the upcoming All-Star break, it’s possible that Whitlock only misses a couple of turns through the rotation.
Even if it ultimately proves true that the issue is minor, it’s not ideal timing for the Sox. The rotation is already a bit short-handed with Chris Sale and Tanner Houck each on the injured list already. Corey Kluber and Nick Pivetta each pitched poorly enough earlier in the year to get moved to the bullpen, with Kluber now on the IL as well. Pivetta has pitched well as a reliever of late and the club might prefer to keep him doing that for as long as it’s working.
Those factors have led to the club running a four-man rotation of late, using bullpen days and off-days to make it all work. With Whitlock now out of action, they are down to just Paxton, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford. Paternity list stints last from one to three days, meaning Paxton should be back shortly. The upcoming All-Star break will help the club out but they still have to get through six games before that and will have six straight coming out of the break as well.
For Whitlock personally, this is yet another setback in his attempts to establish himself as a bonafide big league starter. After a successful rookie campaign as a reliever in 2021, the Sox tried moving him to the rotation last year with mixed results. He started the year with four relief appearances and then nine starts before landing on the IL due to hip inflammation. When he returned, he was kept in relief and finished the season with an ERA of 3.45 in 78 1/3 innings.
His ongoing hip issues ultimately required surgery, which landed him on the IL to start this year. He eventually returned but this is now the second time he’s hit the IL this year due to an elbow issue. He’s made 10 starts and logged 51 2/3 innings with a 5.23 ERA. His strikeout rate has dropped to 21.8% after being at 26.4% last year.
He should be a reliever. Don’t overthink it.
Happy 4th all. Don’t have too many hotdogs. Who am I kidding? No such thing!
> Don’t have too many hotdogs.
> Who am I kidding? No such thing!
Joey Chestnut agrees.
I read that starting was supposed to be better for Whitlock’s hip that he had surgery on. Not sure if that’s true.
That is the problem with most of the staff.. They should be relievers and that is Whitlock, Crawford, Winkowski and am pretty sure this test with Houck also will show them as above average multiple inning relievers and poor/back end starters.
john – How about Pivetta?
I think Cora believes he has so many relievers already that he doesn’t need any more.
Like Ort! Another great performance today …. 5 batters, 3 hits, 2 ER.
Pivetta also Fever. Good point.
Thing is, these so called BP day games could require fewer pitchers and not involve martin/Wink/Pivetta better, if would tell the 1st 2 guys.. Say murphy and Walter in today’s case should have gone around 50 pitches each and thrown 2+ innings.
More competitive BP games and can let go 2, maybe 3 1ip guys who are of no use, except mop up in reality.
Sox have been poor at developing starters the last 20y, but have done a decent job with relievers and in case of what see myself, it’s about all they have at AA and above pitching wise is future relievers, excepting possibly Gambrell.
Red Sox on the phone to Chris Flexen in 3, 2, 1…
It’s a bone bruise officially for Whitlock announced by Cora today. Best case scenario
They have to put Pivetta back out there, He’s an ok back of the rotation guy who they know can eat innings.
Pivetta has been lights out since the switch. he’s embraced this role.
I get that…but they don’t have anyone else to start.
40 years ago today Dave Righetti pitched his no hitter for the Yankees against the Red Sox. I thought it would be good to mention that.
retired – On George’s birthday no less!
Still miss The Boss running the show.
Elite reliever. Average to decent starter.
He hasn’t pitched nearly enough to call him “elite” at anything.
I have half jokingly posted during the off season to buy stock in the Boston General Hospital
The current state of the rotation was predictable and why I believe the Sox should be sellers at this point. The 8 teams ahead of Boston in the play off hunt will make up grades by the deadline while Sox can’t even muster 5 healthy starters.
Sell off, give the young guns playing time, and work toward a better ’24.
Believing this is exactly why I think the FO will do what they did last year and make things even worse
It’s a self inflicted disaster in Boston. I believe it’s totally at the owners request. It makes no sense what has happened to the Red Sox the past few years.
retired – Lowering payroll was definitely the owner’s request, but wasting a lot of payroll dollars is not what the owner wanted to do.
No but he’s to blame for this is the bottom line.