Of the many factors that went into the Boston Red Sox's disappointing 2022 campaign, Garrett Whitlock's snake-bitten season seemed to rank high.
Whitlock, coming off a superb rookie campaign in 2021 that saw him finish with a 1.96 ERA in 73 1/3 innings pitched, had a down year in 2022. The reason for his dip in production can be attributed to a couple of things. The 25-year-old's role was never defined in 2022, seeing him make the change from starter to reliever on multiple occasions, eventually finishing with nine starts in 31 appearances. He was also tasked with working through an injury, something that caught up with him toward the end of the season, when Boston eventually shut him down for good on Sept. 20.
The bad news? Whitlock's injuries put an end to his season early. The good news? It doesn't appear that the surgery will interfere with his offseason throwing program too much.
Whitlock made his return to the Red Sox clubhouse Tuesday for the first time since undergoing an arthroscopic procedure to repair a right hip impingement on Sept. 24. Speaking with reporters, the right-hander said his plan is to complete three months of physical therapy before beginning to throw in late-December or early-January, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. The report was confirmed by Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, who added that Whitlock believes the surgery should "head off further issues."
In 31 appearances this season, Whitlock obtained a 3.45 ERA over the course of 78 1/3 innings pitched. The big question regarding Whitlock is whether he will move forward as a starter or reliever, something Red Sox manager Alex Cora alluded to last week.
