The Boston Red Sox received a rather large boost to their pitching staff Tuesday, with Chris Sale making his long awaited return to Major League Baseball. They may not be done, however, as Garrett Whitlock looks to be ready for a return from the injured list.
Whitlock completed his second, and possibly last, rehab assignment Tuesday night -- tossing two scoreless innings for Double-A Portland. The right-hander threw 16-of-20 pitches for strikes, striking out one and allowing just one hit.
Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 10 with right hip inflammation. Since then, the Red Sox decided he would make a return to the bullpen upon his activation, allowing him to impact a larger number of games than he did as a starter.
The Red Sox started Whitlock's rehab on July 8. The 26-year-old completed two innings of relief work for Triple-A Worcester, allowing six hits and two earned runs. He struck out three batters on 34 pitches -- 26 of which were strikes.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team was expecting to activate Whitlock following his Tuesday appearance for Portland. With the positive trend in results between the two rehab assignments, it's only a matter of time before Whitlock makes his return to Boston.
