Garrett Whitlock will be the Opening Day starting pitcher, but in Triple-A Worcester.
The WooSox open their season on Friday, March 31, a day off for the Red Sox after their own Opening Day at Fenway on Thursday.
It will be a rehab start for Whitlock, who had season-ending hip surgery (right hip arthroscopy) last September. The Red Sox are being careful with his progression this spring, as they hope he can be a key member of the starting rotation moving forward. That’s also why they signed him to a four-year, $18.75 million extension last April, a year and six days to the one-year anniversary of his big-league debut.
Thus far, the 26-year-old righty has been a diamond in the rough that is the Chaim Bloom era. Plucked from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft before the 2021 season, Whitlock debuted, and proceeded to have a criminally underrated rookie season. In 46 appearances, he posted a minuscule 1.96 ERA, finished 11 games, earned a pair of saves, and struck out 81 batters across 73 1/3 innings. His 2.0 HR%, 27.2 K%, and 5.7 BB% were all significantly better than average.
In 2022, the Red Sox began shifting Whitlock into the starting role he’d worked towards throughout his minor league years. He fared better over his 22 relief appearances, posting a 2.75 ERA, 44 strikeouts, and only six walks in 39 1/3 innings. In the first nine starts of his big-league career, he posted a 4.15 ERA, struck out 38 batters, and issued nine walks over 39 innings.
However, those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Whitlock pitched hurt for the majority, if not all, of last season. He pitched through pain for months, and could be seen limping around. This year, he’s visibly lighter and happier. When asked how he’d been feeling at Winter Weekend in January, he said, “Amazing, like I’m back in high school.” He’s reiterated the sentiment several times since.
Whitlock should only need one or two starts in the minors before being able to join the big-league rotation. He’s about a week ahead of Brayan Bello, Alex Cora told reporters this weekend.