Red Sox’s Garrett Whitlock Enthusiastically Confirms 2025 Role

BOSTON — It’s been a rough couple of years for Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock.

Whitlock was one of the best relievers in baseball during his rookie season, but that success led him down a difficult path in which he was constantly moved between the starting rotation and the bullpen. Boston wanted to capitalize on the fact that he had some of the best stuff in the entire organization, which would have been a decent idea if hip, elbow and oblique injuries didn’t limit him to 23 starts and 57 total appearances over the last three seasons.

The Red Sox have a plan to help the 28-year-old return to form, though.

“Let’s go back to the bullpen, baby,” Whitlock enthusiastically said Saturday.

Boston isn’t withholding any trade secrets with regard to the role, as both Whitlock and pitching coach Andrew Bailey confirmed the reasoning during “Fenway Fest” at Fenway Park.

“I think it’s a little bit of everything,” Whitlock said. “It’s one of those things where I still have the repertoire to start, and if they need me to do that I’ll do that… but they’re comfortable with me down (in the bullpen). It’s where I’ve had success, so it’s what we think is going to give the team the best chance to win.”

“Whit has been able to do both things throughout his career, but he’s had a lot of success in the bullpen,” Bailey said. “I think with the current depth of our starting rotation, where he fits in the mix, I know he wants to win and do anything… (Whitlock) being on the field consistently is going to be really valuable to us.”

Whitlock’s numbers are drastically different as a reliever than they are as a starter — as he has a 2.65 ERA across 132 2/3 innings as a reliever and a 4.29 ERA across 109 innings as a starter.

The Red Sox want to tap into that first guy, and they’ve now officially taken the first step in doing so.