Garrett Whitlock made his first step in returning to the Boston Red Sox on Friday when he was the Worcester Red Sox’s Opening Day starter.
The right-hander threw 75 pitches over four innings, allowing one run, six hits, one walk and struck out six batters in Worcester’s 11-2 win over the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park. Whitlock’s velocity dipped as the innings went on, but he stayed in the 90s throughout his outing while inducing ground balls to get out of harm’s way with men on base.
Whitlock began the 2023 Major League Baseball season on the injured list retroactive to March 27 as he continues to recover from hip surgery.
“Time will tell,” Whitlock told reporters of whether he feels ready for MLB action, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “Stuff felt good (Friday), so now I’m just building volume and trying to sharpen the tools.”
Speier on Saturday reported that Cora said Whitlock will pitch for the Portland Sea Dogs and be their Opening Day starter Thursday and that “most likely will be his last one.” Whitlock could pitch for the Red Sox as early as April 11 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Red Sox continue their series against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see manager Alex Cora provide a more definitive timeline on Whitlock.
First pitch for Red Sox-O’s from Fenway Park is set for 4:10 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action beginning at 3 p.m. on NESN.
