Not a lot is clear about Garrett Whitlock’s situation at the moment.
The Red Sox relief pitcher on Sunday left Boston’s 8-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles with a trainer after just one full inning of work.
Whitlock came back out for the seventh inning but something was noticeably off about the Rule 5 Draft pick. He’d given up one run on one hit, but walking Cedric Mullins to start the new frame led to manager Alex Cora pulling him.
Boston ruled the ailment to be right pectoral tightness, and Cora didn’t have much of an update after that.
“Raffy (Devers) was the one, he saw it,” Cora said via Zoom after the game, sharing how the third baseman noticed Whitlock was dealing with something. “Velocity was down, he threw a pitch at 92 and Raffy was the one that got my attention.”
Cora said the team should have more information Monday, which is an off day for the Red Sox.
Hopefully rest helps, but ideally it’s not serious at all. Whitlock has been a huge part of Boston’s success this season, making a case for the Rookie of the Year award.
Whitlock owns a 1.99 ERA with 72.1 innings under his belt and 79 strikeouts, offering the Red Sox the reliable extended relief they’ll need to make this final playoff push.
