Red Sox's ''Best Starter This Season'' Making Rehab Start Thursday; Returning Soon

It's weird to say but the stats don't lie; Michael Wacha has been the Boston Red Sox's most effective starting pitcher when healthy this season.

Starter Michael Wacha is scheduled to throw a four-inning rehab start on Thursday. It's unclear if he'll be activated after that but it would seem likely that he would need multiple rehab starts, given that he's been out since early July due to shoulder inflammation.

Alex Cora said on @MLBNetworkRadio that Michael Wacha will have a 4-inning rehab start this week as a likely prelude to activation next week. (Likely Prelude to Activation would be a terrible band name.)
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) August 1, 2022

The thirty-one-year-old is surprisingly having the best season of his career thus far, pitching to a strong ERA of 2.69, 1.11 WHIP, and a 6-1 record. It's interesting to note that Wacha is throwing the least amount of strikeouts he ever has, averaging just 6.4 K/9, with 50 strikeouts in 70 innings. We'll see if Wacha can continue to induce weak contact and maintain his unprecedented season upon his return.