The Boston Red Sox pitching staff has been bitten by the injury bug recently, leading them to search for a starter for Wednesday’s matchup with the Oakland Athletics. Cue Josh Winckowski’s music.
Winckowski, a 23-year-old prospect who’s been making a name for himself with Triple-A Worcester, will be called upon to make his second career big-league start on Wednesday, according to NESN’s Tom Caron.
“As expected RHP Josh Winckowski will start Wednesday’s game against the A’s,” Caron tweeted.
With Garrett Whitlock and Nathan Eovaldi stuck on the injured list, the Red Sox were forced to get creative with their rotation for the week. Tuesday starter Nick Pivetta was originally slated to go Wednesday, but took advantage of Monday’s off day and skipped up a spot in the rotation. That left Wednesday wide open for a spot start by one of the Red Sox’s many young arms.
Winckowski made the most sense, as he had the most rest among qualified Triple-A pitchers. The righty is coming off a seven-inning, complete-game shutout where he threw less than 80 pitches on June 9. His lone major league start this season did not go as well.
Winckowski made his major league debut on May 28, allowing four earned runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four in just three innings.
“Honestly, my personality, I’ll probably be pretty frustrated for a long time,” Winckowski told the media following the game. “Like I said, it’s still a really awesome moment. But that game could have, should have gone a lot different.”
Winckowski will have a chance at redemption as the Red Sox take on the Athletics in game two of their three-game set from Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can find the game, as well as an hour of pre- and postgame coverage live on NESN.
