The Boston Red Sox surely will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason and one that hasn’t gotten as much coverage free agency certainly is the future of hurler Garrett Whitlock.
Whitlock certainly can pitch, but his role has flip-flopped numerous times since joining the team in 2021 and injuries also have played a big role. He only was able to make four appearances in 2024 before undergoing elbow surgery. In 2024, he was a starting pitcher to begin the year and looked solid with a 1.96 ERA in his four starts.
Throughout his career to this point, he has shown some flashes, but then injuries have popped up, or his role changed. He began his big league career as a reliever in 2021 and had a 1.96 ERA in 46 appearances. Whitlock bounced around in 2022 with a 3.45 ERA across 31 total appearances — including nine starts. In 2023, he had a 5.15 ERA across 22 appearances — including 10 starts.
Now that he is returning from another injury, it will be interesting to see how the team utilizes him. But, manager Alex Cora hinted that it will be from the bullpen, as shared by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
“The conversations now are not about developing him or ‘Is he a starter or reliever?” Cora said as transcribed by Cotillo. “We’ll use him the way we see it, and he was a very successful reliever in ‘21. He’s been an OK starter for us.
“Obviously, injuries have been part of his path, but I think, to be honest with you, we’ll use him the right way and the right way will be kind of like high-leverage innings. If it’s early or late, we don’t know yet.”
It certainly sounds like he will be coming out of the bullpen in 2025 and that could be great. Boston’s bullpen needs another boost and Whitlock could be a solution.
