Red Sox Pitcher Garrett Whitlock Makes Early Exit Vs. Guardians

BOSTON -- Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock departed early from Tuesday night's outing against the Guardians, becoming the latest of Boston's early-season injury concerns.

The right-hander was in the process of making his fourth start of the 2024 campaign, but exited the contest due to left oblique tightness, according to the Red Sox. Whitlock's night ended after just 54 pitches. By then, he'd already surrendered two earned runs off three hits and a walk, striking out one.

That marked Whitlock's shortest outing of the season, beating out the 27-year-old's 4 1/3 innings thrown against the Los Angeles Angels on April 6. Whitlock hasn't undergone the smoothest transition since being moved from the bullpen and into the rotation with Boston, limited to 10 starts in 2023 after missing 59 consecutive games with a shoulder injury.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora made it clear that regardless of what injury challenges nail the roster, it'll be up to the next man in line.

"It's not fun, but it is what it is," Cora said pregame at Fenway Park. "We just gotta be ready for today, and the guys that are playing today, they gotta do their job. That's the attitude that we have. That's the attitude they should have. Players, we've been talking to them. We're gonna use everybody, we're gonna move people around, we're gonna try to maximize matchups."

Whitlock's ERA jumped from 1.42, which ranked among the top 10 in the American League, to 1.96 after Boston's second game of a four-game set with Cleveland.