Whitlock injury robs Red Sox of a potential Big Three at the top of the rotation originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford form a formidable duo at the top of the Red Sox rotation, with All-Star spots guaranteed for both at the current rate.
This makes it easy to forget, but no less disappointing, that they were almost a trio.
Whichever magical pitching coach Andrew Bailey worked for to unlock their two promising starters, it looked like a young third arm would join them.
Garrett Whitlock was as good as both in his first three starts, going 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA. Coming off his first healthy winter in five years, Whitlock arrived in Fort Myers looking like a potential top-of-the-rotation horse, his 6-foot, 200-pound body has been remade into something chiseled and lean.
He then made good on that promise, overhauling his arsenal to prioritize his changeup, de-emphasize his sinker and become a true five-pitch pitcher. He even added an offering with a name: a bullet slider, labeled in some corners as the mythical spinball, which confounded left-handed hitters with its strong downward bite.
The Red Sox believed since his 2021 arrival as a Rule 5 draftee that Whitlock could one day be an impact starter, but injuries constantly got in the way. This year was supposed to be different.
Instead, after missing time with hip, obliques and pectoral injuries over the past four years, Whitlock finally received the news every pitcher dreads on Monday: a compromised UCL.
He will receive a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Alabama, this week, but season-ending surgery looms as a distinct possibility, ending one of the team’s most promising seasons practically before it began.
“There is ligament damage, so there is a possibility he will have surgery,” coach Alex Cora told reporters in Tampa. including Ian Browne of MLB.com. “He will fly to see the doctor this week and they will go from there.”
Whitlock has been on the injured list since April 17 with a strained oblique, and as recently as last week appeared on track to return after throwing 4.2 shutout innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Worcester. He complained of elbow pain the next dayhowever, and tests revealed damage to his UCL.
He’s already had Tommy John surgery once, in 2019 when he was a farmhand for the Yankees, and a second procedure would sideline him for the rest of this year and potentially most of next year as well. He could also be a candidate for an internal bracing procedure, which could cut his rehab time in half but would still cost him the rest of 2024.
It’s a huge blow not only for the Red Sox, but for Whitlock, who has never looked more confident or relaxed in a Red Sox uniform, his playful, fun-loving personality emerging because he finally feels healthy.
Now he faces the potential of another lengthy rehabilitation. The Red Sox weathered his absence not just because Houck and Crawford were exceptional, but because right-hander Cooper Criswell stepped up in Whitlock’s absence.
The Red Sox (2.97) currently trail only the Yankees (2.86) in team ERA, and their pitching has kept them afloat in the American League playoff race. After eliminating the Rays on Monday, the Red Sox are 24-24, just a half game out of the final wild card spot.
Making the postseason would have been easier with three emerging bigs in the rotation that included Whitlock, but it appears his season is over.
“We’ve been down this road before,” Cora told reporters. “I know it sounds harsh, but we have to turn the page and be ready to start.”
