NEW YORK — The Red Sox gave starter Walker Buehler a short leash in his last outing, pulling him after just 75 pitches and 4+ innings in a loss to the Orioles. It turns out the former All-Star was at the end of his leash in the starting rotation, too.
Manager Alex Cora confirmed what was expected Friday afternoon, announcing that Buehler will be removed from Boston’s rotation and will be in the bullpen for the remainder of the season. The drastic move comes nearly five months into a poor season for Buehler, who after signing a one-year, $21.05 million deal with the Red Sox in December, has posted a 5.40 ERA and a career-high 4.4 walks-per-nine innings rate in 22 starts (110 innings).
“I talked to him last night. (Craig Breslow) did too,” said Cora. “This is his new role. We’ll figure out how it goes, maybe one inning, multiple innings, whatever it is, we don’t know yet… Whenever he’s ready, he’ll be there and he’ll help us out.
Cora said Buehler handled the news like a professional.
“He has been very frustrated with the way he has pitched,” the manager said. “I still believe in him. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
The Red Sox signed Buehler, a longtime Dodger, in hopes that he could serve as a reliable No. 2 behind ace Garrett Crochet. Instead, he has had a very inconsistent season as rotation mates Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have surged ahead of him in the pecking order.
Buehler had an 8.68 ERA in his first two starts with the Red Sox, then settled into a groove in April, pitching to a 2.59 mark over a four start-stretch before hitting the injured list with bursitis in his throwing shoulder on May 2. He returned less than three weeks later and then hit a low point, allowing 32 earned runs (along with 10 homers and 23 walks) in 33 ⅓ innings over his next eight outings (8.64 ERA). A better six-start stretch in July and early August did not come with much improvement in the underlying numbers for Buehler, who has issued at least three walks in each of his last 11 starts.
Buehler’s inability to find the strike zone again Tuesday, when he walked four Baltimore batters, was the last straw. The expectation is that he’ll be available out of the bullpen over the weekend once he is fully recovered from his last outing.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” said Buehler. “It’s the first time in my career I’ve been in a situation like that. At the end of the day, the organization and — to a lesser extent, myself — probably think it’s the right thing for our group. It gives me an opportunity to re-set in some ways.
“It’s a situation I’ve tried to avoid my whole life, but the way this season and last season have gone for me, it’s definitely understandable and something I’m going to try to embrace for the next couple months.”
The Red Sox have not yet named a replacement to join their rotation behind Crochet, Bello, Giolito and Dustin May for the final few weeks. The two leading candidates, according to sources, are righty Richard Fitts (available in the major league bullpen) and lefty Kyle Harrison (who is slated to start Sunday in Worcester). Monday’s starter will be determined by how the next three games go in the Bronx. If Fitts is used in relief, Harrison is the likely choice. Top left-handed pitching prospect Payton Tolle is also in the call-up mix for September, according to a source, but will make his scheduled start Friday in Worcester, ruling him out for a call-up early next week.
Since 2019, all 121 of Buehler’s regular season outings in the major leagues have come as a starter. He relieved as a rookie late in the 2017 season, as well as one appearance in 2018. His 16-pitch save to close out Game 5 of last year’s World Series at Yankee Stadium represented his first relief appearance in any capacity in more than a half-decade. Still, his dominance on that late October night is a reason for hope.
“The best bullet of my season last year was in the last game of the season and there is some hope for that…,” he said. “Hopefully, the arm bounces back a little bit better and puts me in a position to elevate the stuff a little bit.”
Buehler, who returned from Tommy John surgery to log an underwhelming 5.38 regular season ERA for Los Angeles last year before showing signs of life in the postseason, signed a one-year deal last winter in an effort to re-establish free agent value in hopes of a bigger deal heading into 2026. That won’t happen after another down season. On Friday, Buehler vowed to spend the offseason trying to re-establish himself as a starter, a thought re-affirmed by two dominant outings against contenders in Philadelphia and San Diego last month.
“That’ll be in the back of my mind, that it’s in there and that I can be a successful starting pitcher. Right now, I’m just not,” Buehler said. “All in all, I think we’re all in agreement that this is the best thing for our team and I’m good with that.
“For now, the offseason is going to be based around getting back to who I am as a starting pitcher. The next couple months will be about trying to help our team win.”
Buehler, who just turned 31 a few weeks ago, does not view his new role as a permanent one.
“There’s some potential that the stuff sticks up and my arm learns that it can throw hard again and I pared down the pitches and made one of them a lot better because I threw it a lot more. Sure, there’s opportunities like that,” he said. “But I’ve only been a starting pitcher one way in this league. I don’t think it’s going to help my starting career. But at the end of the day, it’s going to help our team and hopefully, I can be some sort of valuable piece down there.”
Buehler has already reached out to friends Daniel Hudson and (former Red Sox lefty) David Price for tips on how to adopt a reliever’s mindset. That process, as well as developing a different pregame routine, is underway. For now, though, Buehler is trying to take everything in stride.
“To be frank, if I wasn’t so (expletive) miserable trying to get people out every five days, I don’t think I’d react positively at all to this,” he said. “It’s kind of a good sign of where I’m at mentally that I’m trying to find an opportunity or a bright spot in this for myself and our team.”
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