Garrett

Whitlock

Whitlock has rejoined the Red Sox down in Tampa Bay after wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment with scoreless inning for Triple-A Worcester over the weekend. The 29-year-old could wind up getting the occasional save chance with Aroldis Chapman dealing with a minor hamstring issue that could limit his availability for back-to-back situatuins.

It wasn’t the smoothest of innings, as Whitlock gave up a hit and a couple of walks and threw just 10 of his 21 pitches for strikes, but he managed to escape without any damage being done. His fastball topped out at 97-mph in the outing. It’s unclear if the Red Sox will want to see him once more in a minor league setting or if he’ll be cleared to return following Saturday’s appearance.

Whitlock has made a rapid recovery after hitting the injured list with knee inflammation back in late May. The 29-year-old high-leverage specialist figures to make it back to Boston’s bullpen at some point next week, possibly as early as Monday’s series opener against the Rays.

It was Whitlock’s first side session since hitting the injured list with knee inflammation last week. The 29-year-old isn’t expected to miss a ton of time and it’s possible he’s ready to rejoin Boston’s high-leverage mix by mid-June.

Whitlock had a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings for the Red Sox as their main setup man for Aroldis Chapman, blowing a save on Sunday before sitting out the next two days with the injury. Justin Slaten looks to be the main cog in this pen for holds now, with Jovani Morán potentially joining the mix as well.

Tracy did caution that Whitlock has already undergone imaging and there’s no structural damage. The right-hander jammed the knee when he slipped on the mound during a rain-filled game against the Twins last week. Right now, Whitlock is considered day-to-day, but it’s good news that he appears to have avoided a significant injury.

Whitlock missed the series against the Padres and will be right back in high-leverage innings for the Red Sox as they look to break their early-season funk.

Congrats to Garrett and his growing family. He’ll be out for the weekend series and should be back with the team on Monday.

There was speculation that Miller would be unavailable after throwing 22 pitches during Sunday’s save appearance against the Dominican Republic. With fellow high-leverage arm David Bednar shut down for workload reasons, Miller is the overwhelming favorite to get the ball to close out the international showcase. Garrett Whitlock is the other late-inning arm with some workload questions but all indications are he’s good to go. The electrifying 27-year-old Padres stopper will be pitching for the third time in the last five days, if he makes an appearance on Tuesday night at loanDepot park. He’s the top closer off the board in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Bello threw just 28 pitches in a losing effort against the Bombers in Game 2 on Wednesday, so he’ll be available if he’s needed on Thursday. Garrett Whitlock will also be available. The only pitcher on the Red Sox’ staff that’s unlikely to be available is Garrett Crochet, and Cora even hinted that he could be in a pinch when saying “probably not” when asked about his availability. Expect an all hands on deck situation as the Red Sox attempt to stave off elimination.