Garrett Whitlock was on track to return to the Red Sox rotation this weekend, but Boston had to seek a different route.
The pitcher was placed on the 15-day injured list with hip soreness earlier this month. Whitlock was progressing well and the plan was to slot him back into the rotation this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians.
But sometimes plans don't always work out.
"He wasn't feeling good. Not moving well," manager Alex Cora told reporters before Boston's 6-3 win over Cleveland on Friday, per The Boston Globe. "It's not that he took steps back, but he didn't recover the way we wanted him to. We just have to be patient."
Cora said the Red Sox plan to activate Whitlock for their series against the Toronto Blue Jays that begins Monday, which certainly will be helpful to Boston considering Tanner Houck will not make the trip due to his vaccination status.
The Red Sox return to action Saturday as they continue their series against the Guardians. First pitch from Progressive Field is set for 6:10 p.m. ET and you can catch all the action at 5 p.m. on NESN.
