Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Globe reports that imaging on the injured leg of right-hander Garrett Whitlock revealed that he had been pitching through a fractured tibia that wasn’t properly diagnosed.
Given the severity of the injury, it’s awfully impressive that Whitlock was able to continue pitching — and pitch as well as he was — down the stretch and into the postseason for the Red Sox. The 30-year-old hurler isn’t expected to require surgery, but he will be in a walking boot for the next 4-6 weeks while the injury heals. Whitlock should still be able to go through his regular off-season routine and should be a full participant at the start of spring training.