The Boston Red Sox have been cornered by the injured list early on, which will result in some expected changes to the structure of their pitching staff moving forward.
Reliever John Schreiber became the latest to go down after suffering a right teres major strain during Monday night’s 10-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners, joining Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford — who will undergo rehab assignments in Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday night.
Now, the Red Sox and manager Alex Cora are placed in a tough spot. Before seeking a bounce-back victory following four consecutive losses at Fenway Park, Cora explained the upcoming approach to directing Boston’s pitching rotation.
“I mean, I actually didn’t like my utility role, to be honest with you, but I had to buy into it. This is what you get,” Cora told reporters Tuesday, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “Obviously, it’s a tough conversation. Certain guys, I can tell you about, Garrett (Richards) and MartÃn (Pérez) in ’21. And they did a good job. They didn’t like it. But it’s still the big leagues, you’re part of a team.
“At the end you have to accept it and go out there and do your job, because if you don’t do your job, you’re not helping your cause in the future.”
The Red Sox also took their first course of action before first pitch with the Mariners, adding relief pitcher Justin Garza and Ryan Sherriff to the roster. This came less than 24 hours after the team optioned left-hander Brennan Bernardino, who allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings of work, Monday night.
For the past few weeks, rotation change talks have been looming over the Red Sox, seemingly leading to speculation about who Cora will stick with and who he’ll send over to the bullpen. Considering the ongoing developments and circumstances surrounding Boston’s health, coupled with a few right-handers — Whitlock and Crawford — working toward a return, more changes will come for the Red Sox.
