Red Sox Injuries: Noteworthy Garrett Whitlock, Josh Taylor Updates

Garrett Whitlock won’t be activated Saturday, but he could be before the end of the regular season.

The Boston Red Sox have been without the star Rule 5 reliever since Sept. 21 due to right pectoral tightness. Sox manager Alex Cora has emphasized regularly that while the injury was never considered serious, they were going to be incredibly careful with him.

But now, he could be back Sunday for the regular season finale.

“He’s not going to be active today,” Cora said before Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals. “We’ll see how he feels throughout the day, and then we will see if he’ll be activated tomorrow. It’s a 50-50 chance. Obviously, we have to think about the team and the roster and all that stuff, but also his health. So, we’ll see how it goes today, and what he can give us tomorrow if needed. Then, we’ll make a decision.”

Cora also shared an update on Josh Taylor, who is dealing with a back strain. The updates so far hadn’t been overly encouraging, and that remained the case Saturday.

“He’s actually not here (in Washington), he stayed back. Like I said, he’s not progressing as fast as we hoped, so we still have to be patient with him.”

Taylor is on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 23.

First pitch for Sox-Nationals is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on NESN, with pregame coverage beginning at 3.