The Red Sox entered spring training needing to figure out which players would round out the back end of the rotation behind Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta. However, once it was revealed Sale would be sidelined through Opening Day, it became even more important to figure out who could fill the fourth and fifth rotation spots.
One of the obvious candidates was Garrett Whitlock, whose 2021 campaign made him a legitimate candidate for the Rookie of the Year award out of the bullpen. Manager Alex Cora had been non-committal about Whitlock’s role in 2022, but the latest update reveals Whitlock may at least be in the running for a rotation spot.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Whitlock will start Sunday’s spring training game against the Minnesota Twins. He will pitch three innings before giving way to Rich Hill, a veteran acquisition by Boston who — along with Michael Wacha, and James Paxton once he returns from injury — also is a candidate for a rotation spot.
Per Cotillo, Cora said he “wants Whitlock to experience the starting routine.” Still, speaking to reporters Tuesday, Cora wasn’t getting ahead of himself regarding Whitlock’s potential role as a starter.
“I don’t think you guys know whether he’s going to be a good starter or not,” Cora said. “Everybody’s saying he should be a starter, how do we know that? One thing we know is he went multiple innings and he was really good last year, and yeah, he’s built as a starter, but this is uncharted waters, right? He was hurt a few years ago, so we have to be smart.”
While Whitlock — who was developed by the New York Yankees to be a starter — will get a shot Sunday, it seems this one may be a matter of waiting to see what shakes out.
