Red Sox’s Justin Slaten Quickly Showing Bullpen Value

Justin Slaten continuously impressed people around the Boston Red Sox organization after his Rule 5 path led him to the organization in the offseason.

The 26-year-old inherited a poor situation in his MLB debut, surrendering a walk-off hit to Julio Rodriguez as the Red Sox lost to the Seattle Mariners on March 30. He proceeded to tally 3 2/3 scoreless innings, including his first save, in ensuing appearances. Slaten took the mound again on Saturday against the Angels. With a heavily-worked bullpen, the right-hander delivered two valuable innings, retiring the side in order with five of the six outs coming on strikeouts.

“That was electric,” Alex Cora offered on Saturday night, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “That was fun to watch. Just like Garrett (Whitlock three years ago), little by little we’ll keep giving him more. We have to be very cautious about his health. In the minor leagues, there’s no back-to-backs. There’s no multi-innings. He hasn’t done that. It’s baby steps with him.”

Stuff-wise, Slaten dazzled for the Red Sox, recording eight swings and misses and throwing the hardest pitch of the night for either club, per Statcast. That ability to overpower hitters and miss bats stands out in Boston’s bullpen.

“It’s strike-throwing with great stuff,” Cora assessed. “Aggressive in the zone. That was really good.”

Like Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski in the past, Slaten very well could be the next multi-inning relief star for the Red Sox. For Cora, managing the excitement level with logical rest is crucial for the new addition.

“I know it’s a shiny object,” Cora added. “You get excited as a manager. If we’re going to make this happen, we have to keep him healthy.”