Red Sox Starter To Begin Season On Minor League Assignment

He was set to make a full-time move back into the Boston Red Sox' starting rotation this season, but for now, right-hander Garrett Whitlock is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, and will start the season on a minor-league assignment.

Manager Alex Cora made the comments while adding that Whitlock might only miss one or two starts. But he also cautioned that they will not rush him back under any circumstances.

“We’re not going to cut corners on this,” Cora said. “There’s no rush here. We’ve just got to be patient. Last year, I think we rushed into a few situations and it put us in a bad spot. We learned from it and we’re not going to make the same mistakes.”

Whitlock is in the final stages of recovery from September hip surgery, and although he's been behind the other starters throughout the spring, he has been progressing nicely as camp has moved along. He pitched three innings in his Monday spring start, allowing three hits and no earned runs. 

He posted a 3.45 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP in 2022, switching between starting and relieving. 

Corey Kluber will get the start on Opening Day for the BoSox, followed by Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck and likely Kutter Crawford in the first iteration of the starting rotation. But Brayan Bello and Whitlock won't be far behind, and hopefully James Paxton will be ready before too long. At that point, some decisions will have to be made.

Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports