The Red Sox reportedly made a change to their pitching staff ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Tropicana Field.
Garrett Whitlock is in line to start for Boston in the second of four games against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. In order to move Whitlock onto the active roster, the Red Sox sent Kutter Crawford down to Triple-A Worcester, as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Whitlock was not able to be on Boston’s Opening Day roster as he continued recovery from the right hip surgery he underwent in September. The right-hander made two starts in the minors — one with Triple-A Worcester and one with Double-A Portland — across the first week of the 2023 Major League Baseball season.
Crawford saw a similar amount of action with the Red Sox over that same span. The 27-year-old was roughed up in his season debut — seven earned runs allowed on eight hits over four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Boston — but he rebounded with five innings of one-run ball in Sunday’s road win over the Detroit Tigers.
Tuesday will mark Whitlock’s first start since June 7 of last year. And it will be against a tough customer, as the Rays on Monday boosted their unblemished record to 10-0 with a series-opening 1-0 win over the Red Sox.
Full coverage of Whitlock’s 2023 debut begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on NESN+.
