Red Sox shut down Garrett Whitlock due to elbow injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Garrett Whitlock will not return to the Boston Red Sox rotation any time soon.
The right-hander, who has been sidelined since April 17 due to an oblique strain, suffered an injury setback amid his rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters on Friday that Whitlock felt soreness in his pitching elbow after his Wednesday start.
“Garrett felt, yesterday, soreness around the elbow area,” Cora said before Boston’s series opener vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. “We’re gonna shut him down for now and see what’s going on this weekend. We’ll know more on Monday. He stayed back home so they’ll do the whole thing over the weekend. We’ll gather information and see where we’re at.”
Whitlock has a history of elbow injuries. The 27-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had separate stints on the IL last season due to right elbow ulnar neuritis and right elbow inflammation.
While they await a diagnosis for Whitlock's latest ailment, the Red Sox will proceed with Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, and Cooper Criswell in the starting rotation. Whitlock was expected to return Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, but now it appears it will be Houck on the mound that night for Boston.
Boston's pitching staff has fared just fine despite Whitlock and others missing time with injuries. The group entered Friday with an MLB-leading 2.79 ERA.
