Fantasy News

• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Lands on injured list

  Rotowire Apr 17, 2024

  The Red Sox placed Whitlock on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left oblique strain, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. Whitlock suffered the injury during Tuesday's start against the Guardians. Manager Alex Cora suggested that Whitlock is dealing with a low-grade strain, and the Red Sox are hopeful that the right-hander will be ready to return from the IL when first eligible. It's not yet clear who will take Whitlock's spot in the rotation, but Chase Anderson is a candidate.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Removal precautionary

  Rotowire Apr 17, 2024

  Whitlock (oblique) said he was removed from Tuesday's game against Cleveland as a precaution, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports. Whitlock's oblique started bothering him during the third inning, and he was later removed from the game after pitching four frames. He also noted that his injury doesn't feel like something that will bother him enough to keep him from making his start -- tentatively scheduled for Sunday -- but the Sox will continue to monitor his condition until then.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Exits with injury

  Rotowire Apr 16, 2024

  Whitlock was removed from Tuesday's game against the Guardians due to left oblique tightness, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. Whitlock had given up two runs across four innings before Joely Rodriguez relieved him out of the bullpen. The severity of his injury remains unknown, but the right-hander will presumably undergo imaging to determine whether or not he'll be required to miss his next turn through the rotation.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Pitches well in no-decision

  Rotowire Apr 12, 2024

  Whitlock allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings in a no-decision against Baltimore on Thursday. Whitlock held the Orioles scoreless until Colton Cowser belted a solo shot off him in the fifth inning, but he ended up with a no-decision due to a late Baltimore rally. The right-hander has allowed one or zero runs in each of his three starts so far this season, though he's yet to go beyond five frames. Overall, Whitlock's 1.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB across 14.1 frames have made for a strong beginning to his first season as a full-time starter.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Fans eight in win

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Whitlock (1-0) allowed one run on three hits over five innings Sunday, striking out eight and earning a win over the Mariners. The one run and three hits against Whitlock all came in the second inning, but he was nearly perfect otherwise. The 27-year-old righty looked terrific this spring and carried that momentum into his first appearance of the regular season. Whitlock's innings totals over the past three seasons have all been in the 70s, but he's in line for a full run in Boston's rotation in 2024.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Strong effort Monday

  Rotowire Mar 26, 2024

  Whitlock allowed one unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings in Monday's exhibition game against the Rangers. Whitlock was impressive against the first-string lineup Texas trotted out Monday. The right-hander threw 67 pitches (51 strikes) and retired nine of the final 10 batters faced. The dominant performance Monday followed a strong Grapefruit League for Whitlock, who finished spring training with a 2.49 ERA and a 22:3 K:BB over 21.2 innings. He's scheduled to start the fourth game of the season Sunday in Seattle against the Mariners.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Strong showing Friday

  Rotowire Mar 15, 2024

  Whitlock allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five over 4.1 scoreless innings in Friday's spring game against the Twins. This was the best of Whitlock's five Grapefruit League starts and a reminder that he's not out of the competition for one of the two available slots in the rotation. He threw 62 pitches (44 strikes) and put batters away after getting ahead in the count. "The swings and misses from the get-go, that's a game changer," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "He's been working hard with his cutter and the slider/sweeper. The good thing about him is he's always ahead. It's about putting them away. Not only inducing them to weak contact, but swings and misses are good, too." Whitlock has a 3.45 ERA with 16 strikeouts and two walks over 15.2 spring innings. Tanner Houck, Cooper Criswell and, to an extent, Josh Winckowski are also competing for a rotation spot.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Throws three innings

  Rotowire Mar 5, 2024

  Whitlock allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts over three innings in Tuesday's spring start against Tampa Bay. Whitlock made his third Grapefruit League start and has now allowed runs in all three. When the day began, he was in a competition with Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski for a single rotation spot; however, circumstances changed by the time he took the mound. The club announced Lucas Giolito is experiencing elbow soreness. One report called it a partial UCL tear and flexor strain, which is likely season-ending injury. That would mean two of the Whitlock/Houck/Winckowski trio will enter the rotation, unless the organization reaches out to an existing free agent, such as Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell. Whitlock has allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out 10 over eight innings.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Will be built up initially

  Rotowire Feb 27, 2024

  Whitlock is expected to build up to five-plus innings even if he's not a projected member of the starting rotation, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. Boston is being put to work immediately out of the gate with 23 games in 25 days across five cities. As such, a sixth starter could be needed during the first month of the season. Both Whitlock and Tanner Houck will be prepped for five-plus innings.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Makes spring debut

  Rotowire Feb 25, 2024

  Whitlock allowed one run on one hit while striking out two over two innings in Saturday's spring start against Baltimore. Whitlock allowed some loud contact during his opening frame, including an Adley Rutschman home run on a 3-1 changeup. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was largely pleased with the outing. "He fell into some deep counts," Cora told Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe. "Conditions were conducive to fly balls going out of the ballpark. But overall it was a good outing. The quality of pitches was good. So now we move on to the next one." Whitlock is in the mix for a spot in the rotation, but the right-hander said he's not as consumed with being a starter as he was the past two seasons, which have featured injuries and inconsistency. "I kind of took a page from Adam Warren (a former teammate), where he told me, once you adapt that mind-set of being a Swiss Army knife, where you can be thrown into anything and excel, it frees everything else up," Whitlock said. He's in the mix for one of two spots in the rotation along with Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Battling for rotation spot

  Rotowire Feb 14, 2024

  Whitlock is preparing to compete for a spot in the Red Sox's Opening Day rotation this spring, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. Fully healthy again after battling elbow issues at various points last season, Whitlock threw his first live batting practice of spring training Wednesday, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. Though Whitlock opened the 2023 campaign as a starter, he worked out of the bullpen over his final 12 appearances upon returning in August following his third stint on the injured list. In November, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that the Red Sox planned to have Whitlock get stretched back out for a starting role heading into the spring training, and the right-hander looks like he's right where he needs to be in his buildup program at this stage of camp. Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford project as the Red Sox's top four starters in some order to begin spring training, leaving Whitlock to battle with Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski for the final spot, which became open after Chris Sale was traded to Atlanta in December.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Earns first save

  Rotowire Sep 30, 2023

  Whitlock picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 victory over the Orioles. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out three over two scoreless innings. Whitlock notched his first save of 2023 and the ninth of his career. The 27-year-old righty has been solid in relief this month with a 2.89 ERA, 0.86 ERA and 10:2 K:BB over 9.1 September innings. The 33-pitch effort likely ends a tough season for Whitlock in which he's thrown 71.2 innings with a 5.15 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 72:13 K:BB.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Goes on bereavement list

  Rotowire Sep 3, 2023

  The Red Sox placed Whitlock on the bereavement list Sunday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports. Whitlock will be away from the Red Sox for at least the next three days -- and no more than seven -- as he tends to a personal matter. Lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Works around traffic

  Rotowire Aug 24, 2023

  Whitlock allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning win over Houston. Whitlock had traffic on the bases in each of his two innings but was able to work around it. That included a nifty sliding catch of Alex Bregman's popup in foul territory. The play was officially ruled batter interference, because Bregman impeded catcher Connor Wong's ability to make the play. The game also featured Boston closer Kenley Jansen leaving due to a hamstring issue. Pending the severity of injury, Whitlock, a trusted setup arm, could be used for save opportunities.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Grabs win in return

  Rotowire Aug 14, 2023

  Whitlock (5-3) earned the win in Sunday's 6-3 triumph over the Tigers. He allowed one unearned run while striking out three over two hitless innings. It was an impressive return for Whitlock, who'd been sidelined since July 4 with a bone bruise in his elbow. The 27-year-old right-hander made 10 starts for the Red Sox earlier this year, though he figures to work out of the bullpen going forward. Overall, Whitlock sports a 5.03 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 50:7 K:BB across 53.2 innings this season.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Activated from IL

  Rotowire Aug 13, 2023

  The Red Sox activated Whitlock (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. Whitlock has been on the injured list since July 4 with a bone bruise in his right elbow. He holds a 5.23 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 51.2 innings but looked sharp during his rehab outing, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out three batters with Triple-A Worcester. Whitlock is expected to join the Sox's bullpen as a multi-inning reliever.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Looks sharp in rehab outing

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Whitlock (elbow) struck out three and surrendered two hits while walking none in 2.1 scoreless innings in his rehab appearance Wednesday for Triple-A Worcester. He also hit a batter with a pitch. Whitlock pumped in 33 of his 46 pitches for strikes while allowing only three of the nine batters he faced to reach base, with both of the hits he allowed being of the soft-contact variety. The strong rehab outing was exactly what the Red Sox wanted to see from Whitlock, who was making his first appearance since July 2 after missing the past five weeks with a bone bruise in his right elbow. Before being placed on the 15-day injured list, Whitlock had served as a starter for the Red Sox, but he'll be rejoining the club as a multi-inning reliever. Assuming he checks out fine after being evaluated following Wednesday's rehab appearance, Whitlock will likely be activated from the IL ahead of Sunday's game against the Tigers.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Likely to be activated Sunday

  Rotowire Aug 7, 2023

  Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Whitlock (elbow) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. Before being activated, Whitlock will make just one three-inning rehab appearance, which will come Wednesday at Triple-A Worcester. Cora reiterated Monday that Whitlock will be returning to the Red Sox in a relief role, though the organization isn't necessarily pulling the plug on moving the right-hander back to the rotation in 2024. While the move to the bullpen likely lessens his overall fantasy appeal so long as closer Kenley Jansen is available for save situations, Whitlock could still have some value as a ratio stabilizer in a multi-inning relief role. Over 112.2 career innings as a reliever between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Whitlock compiled a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 22.9 K-BB%.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Expected to return as reliever

  Rotowire Aug 4, 2023

  Whitlock (elbow) will likely join Boston's bullpen once he comes off the 15-day injured list, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports. The expectation is that Whitlock will go on a rehab assignment next week and return as a multi-inning reliever, similar to his role for the club in 2021. Whitlock has never topped 78.1 innings in a big-league season, and may fall shy of that mark again this year as he sits on 51.2 innings. Meanwhile, Tanner Houck (face) is expected to get stretched out and return as a starting pitcher.

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• Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Nearing rehab assignment

  Rotowire Aug 2, 2023

  Whitlock (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Worcester, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. Whitlock is on about the same trajectory as Tanner Houck (face), who is scheduled to begin a rehab stint with Worcester on Saturday. One of the two could return to the Red Sox in more of a piggyback role rather than a traditional starting role, though there's nothing official yet on that front. Whitlock has been limited to 51.2 major-league innings (10 starts) this season because of elbow trouble.

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