Red Sox Reliever Expected To Play Through Injury In 2024 Season

Red Sox pitcher Josh Winckowski will return to the bullpen this upcoming season, and he’ll do so with a chip on his shoulder.

It’s actually in his ankle, but you catch our drift.

Winckowski has been pitching with a bone chip in his ankle, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. It’s something that ideally would have been addressed this offseason, but it was discovered too late to have surgery since it comes with a three-month rehab.

Winckowski shouldn’t have the injury affect him too much, though. He was dominant out of the bullpen last season despite playing through the undiagnosed injury, finishing with a 2.88 ERA across 60 appearances.

He’ll have the injury addressed following the season, per Speier. In the meantime, Winckowski will wear a brace on his right ankle.

If you’re wondering why we made the chip comment, it surprisingly isn’t just because it was hilarious. Winckowski was competing for a spot in the starting rotation, and despite seeing himself as a starter, was sent back to the bullpen after losing out on the final two spots to Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck.

The Red Sox “expect (Winckowski) to be dominant” out of the bullpen, though, just as he was last season.