ST. LOUIS — Garrett Whitlock won’t return to the Red Sox rotation as expected early next week — and there’s at least some concern about a new elbow injury keeping him potentially keeping him out for an extended period.
Whitlock, who has been sidelined since April 17 with a left oblique strain, felt soreness in his pitching elbow in the aftermath of his rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. Manager Alex Cora said Whitlock’s pain began Friday and was severe enough for the Red Sox to take some precautions. The right-hander has been shut down from throwing and is back in Boston, where he’ll undergo tests over the weekend.
“Garrett felt, yesterday, soreness around the elbow area,” Cora said Friday before Boston’s series opener at Busch Stadiumn. “We’re gonna shut him down for now and see what’s going on this weekend. We’ll know more on Monday.
“He stayed back home so they’ll do the whole thing over the weekend. We’ll gather information and see where we’re at.”
Fanatics Sportsbook
10X$100 BONUS BET
BET MATCH BONUS
Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, KY ,MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV); (888) 789-7777 or ccpg.org (CT); 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA); (800) 327-5050 or gamblinghelpline.org (MA), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1800gambler.net (WV)
Whitlock allowed two hits and struck out five in 4 ⅔ scoreless innings in Worcester on Wednesday in what was expected to be his only rehab outing before returning to the big league rotation. The expectation was that Whitlock would pitch Monday at Tropicana Field against the Rays. Unfortunately for him, that won’t happen.
“He felt great during the outing,” Cora said. “Throughout the night, felt really good. Yesterday, he was doing OK. And then we stretched him out and he was tight, it was sore.”
With Whitlock still out, the Red Sox will move forward with the five starters who are currently in their rotation, meaning no decision will be due for righty Cooper Criswell, who may have been the odd man out when Whitlock came back despite having a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings out of the rotation this season. Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta will face the Cardinals and Tanner Houck is expected to pitch on regular rest Monday, five days after throwing a career-high 112 pitches against the Rays on Wednesday night. Criswell is then expected to pitch Tuesday in St. Petersburg with Bello going again in Wednesday’s road trip finale. The Red Sox may have used a six-man rotation with Whitlock back in the fold but won’t now.
Whitlock’s elbow issue is the latest health-related setback in what has been a difficult three years for the 27-year-old righty. After an excellent rookie season in 2021, Whitlock was limited to just 150 innings over the last two years while being placed on the injured list five times with hip and elbow injuries (including three stints in 2023). He entered this year healthy, won a rotation spot out of spring training and posted a 1.96 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 18 ⅓ innings over four starts to start the year.
That Whitlock is dealing with yet another injury is an obvious blow.
“I think it’s more about the last few years than anything else,” Cora said. “But one thing about this kid, he’s resilient. He’s strong. He has been through worse. Hopefully, it’s nothing, but we have to wait and see. In the meantime, we’ll stay the course with the same guys in the rotation and keep going.”
