Overview
- The Red Sox placed right-hander Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list Thursday and recalled veteran reliever Greg Weissert from Triple-A Worcester to provide bullpen depth.
- Whitlock told reporters the right elbow pain had been “building” for weeks, he has not yet had imaging, and he does not believe the issue is structural or will need drastic measures.
- Whitlock has been Boston’s primary eighth-inning setup arm this season, posting roughly a 2.05 ERA with elite strikeout-to-walk numbers, which raises the competitive cost of his absence.
- The IL move follows a heavy recent workload for Whitlock — including numerous appearances in July — and came after a game in Toronto where the bullpen collapsed in the eighth inning during Boston’s five-game losing streak.
- Next steps to watch are the results of Whitlock’s imaging, how long the team keeps him on the IL, whether Garrett Crochet or other relievers are used in higher-leverage roles, and how Weissert performs filling the vacancy.