The Boston Red Sox welcomed back their most effective stopper on Saturday, but it came with a cost.
Garrett Whitlock, who last pitched on Aug. 9, made his return in time for the Red Sox's doubleheader against the arch-rival New York Yankees. Wins are paramount this weekend after Boston dropped the first of this four-game set, so having a lockdown setup man can only be a positive.
But to facilitate Whitlock's return, the Red Sox had to option rookie right-hander Wyatt Olds back to Triple-A Worcester. That move was made official at around 10 a.m. ET, with Raymond Burgos making his return to the majors as the 27th man on the doubleheader roster.
Aug 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Wyatt Olds (75) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Olds struck out eight batters and did not allow a run in his six major league innings after earning his first-ever call-up. The story is a bit more complicated because of his elevated Triple-A ERA for most of the season (5.33 in 50 2/3 innings), but the fact that he struck out 74 batters at that level tells you that he could very well be an effective big-league reliever in the long run if he refines his command.
Olds should have gotten his first major league save on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins in an impressive display of nasty extra-innings sliders, but unfortunately, his would-be game-ending strikeout was too slippery for catcher Connor Wong to handle.
Instead, Olds had to settle for his first career win when Jarren Duran hit a grand slam in the top of the 11th.
At age 27, Olds still has all of his minor-league options remaining, which means after this season, he can freely be brought up and down for two more years. That means all it will cost the Red Sox to keep him throughout the offseason is a 40-man roster spot, which he's well on the way to earning.
Some may even choose to question the Red Sox's choice to option Burgos over someone like Greg Weissert, a much more experienced major leaguer whose struggles this year are well-documented. But both could soon be on the roster when the team is allowed to keep 28 players instead of 26 as of this coming Tuesday, and in this doubleheader, it was a priority to get fresh arms (Olds threw an inning on Friday night).
Bottom line: Olds' story with the big-league club this season is almost certainly not told. But it's always tough to have to leave the clubhouse when there's a pennant race in full swing.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox Rookie Gets Tough Demotion to Open Spot for Garrett Whitlock .
