The Red Sox announced that right-hander Garrett Whitlock has been activated from the club’s 15-day injured list. Whitlock will take the place of righty Wyatt Olds, who was optioned to Triple-A Worcester in the corresponding move. Left-hander Raymond Burgos was also called up from Triple-A as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Yankees.
Whitlock last pitched on August 9 and has since been sidelined by elbow inflammation. This was the second IL stint of the year for Whitlock, who missed the minimum 15 days in late May and early June due to some left knee inflammation. This elbow issue also proved to be minor enough that Whitlock is back in under three weeks, which is great news considering his importance within Boston’s bullpen.
Whitlock has a 2.05 ERA, 29.2% strikeout rate, and 4.2% walk rate over 44 innings this season. Beyond those elite metrics, Whitlock is also among the league’s best in barrel rate (3.6%) and chase rate (an absurd 42.2%). Boston’s relief corps is the best in baseball by most stats, as Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero, Jovani Moran, Greg Weissert, and more have been locking things down in front of star closer Aroldis Chapman.
This excellent bullpen was a key reason behind the 32-5 record the Red Sox posted from the last week of June through the first week of August. That incredible 37-game run took Boston from last place in the AL East to a firm grasp on a playoff spot, as the Sox enter today’s play as the second wild card team.
