Alex Cora on Saturday told reporters that Garrett Whitlock will be a member of the Red Sox rotation after three strong starts.
Whitlock began the 2022 Major League Baseball season in the bullpen, where he's dazzled for Boston since 2021. The right-hander, though, was developed as a starter before undergoing Tommy John surgery and being left unprotected by the New York Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft (where the Red Sox selected him).
Cora said before the season began that the plan was to stretch Whitlock out for the starter's role, and after three starts, it appears the Red Sox are ready to commit to him as a starting pitcher.
There have been questions about whether Whitlock should return to the 'pen given its struggles this season, and losing a reliable arm like Whitlock's for five days after each start isn't ideal if he can be used multiple days in a row in relief.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom shed some light on the decision.
"I see the fact that this is a debate that this is a really good thing," told reporters ahead of the Red Sox's game against the Chicago White Sox, per WEEI's Rob Bradford. "What we really need is a machine that can clone him. There is just one of him. It is important to me that we don't bounce him around too much."
Cloning Whitlock certainly would be nice.
The pitching hasn't been the sole issue Boston has faced this season, but getting a reliable arm for the bullpen would do wonders for the Red Sox.
