Alex Cora Reveals Surprise Candidate For Red Sox Starting Rotation

The Boston Red Sox in recent seasons have routinely changed the roles of Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock, jostling them back and forth from the bullpen to the starting rotation.

And while that has come with mixed results, it won’t stop the Red Sox from potentially having another reliever follow the same path as Houck and Whitlock.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed Tuesday at the Major League Baseball winter meetings that reliever Josh Winckowski most likely will see a role change after being relied upon as a back-of-the-bullpen arm last season. But whether Winckowski actually winds up in the rotation remains to be seen.

“(Winckowski is) somebody that toward the end of the season I view more as a reliever than a starter, but with the information provided and the new group, there’s a new vision with him,” Cora told reporters, per the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo. “I’m not saying he’s going to be a starter, but he’s a guy that can go multiple innings with his stuff and the characteristics of his pitches against lefties and righties. So, stretch everybody out, that’s what they’re working at and we’ll see what happens in the upcoming weeks and months.”

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander made 59 of his 60 appearances out of the bullpen last season, working 84 1/3 innings, the most of any full-time Red Sox reliever. He pitched more than one inning in 28 of those appearances.

Winckowski found success coming out of the ‘pen after struggling as a starter in his rookie season in 2022, when he went 5-7 with a 5.89 ERA while getting 14 starts. Last season, the 25-year-old showed his potential in a multitude of relief situations, posting a 2.88 ERA with three saves. He also struck out 82 batters, which was nearly double the amount he fanned as a starter.

The Red Sox certainly have holes in their starting rotation and it was widely thought they would plug them via free agency or by pulling off a trade. But if those avenues don’t pay any dividends, the Red Sox might just consider an in-house option in Winckowski.