Boston Red Sox Activate Key Reliever From Injured List Ahead of Saturday's Doubleheader in New York
Red Sox setup man Garrett Whitlock has been on the injured list since Aug. 13 with elbow inflammation.
Video Transcript
What's up everyone?
Zach Coe here for Roundtable.
Ahead of Saturday's double header in the Bronx, the Red Sox made a pair of roster moves, adding some fresh arms to their bullpen.
First, activating key setup man Garrett Whitlock from the injured list, and appointing left-handed reliever Raymond Burgos as the 27th man.
It'll wind up being just a 13-day stint for Whitlock on the injured list, who went down with right elbow inflammation that he has said had been bothering him for a little bit.
But precautionary imaging showed just the inflammation, no structural damage, confirming what Whitlock said when he met with reporters upon landing on the IL.
Obviously, this is a major boost for the Red Sox bullpen to get back Garrett Whitlock.
He's been their number one setup man to bridge the gap between Aroldis Chapman and the starter, and Tyron Guerrero and Eric Miller have done really well in Whitlock and Justin Slayton's absence to be that setup men for Chapman.
But they've been very heavily used, so to get back Whitlock as another high leverage arm and give those guys a little bit of a breather is a massive boost.
But it really is a massive credit to the Red Sox bullpen because they haven't skipped a beat in the absence of Whitlock or Slayton.
They posted a one thirty-three ERA in forty-four innings pitched in those 13 days, which is the second lowest mark in baseball.
To make room on the roster for Whitlock, right-hander Wyatt Olds was optioned to triple A Worcester, and Olds performed pretty well in his first taste of big league action.
He allowed three unearned runs on four hits, striking out eight and walking three across six innings of work after being called up on August 17th.
So he'll now head back to Worcester to await his next opportunity at the major league level
