Red Sox pitcher played through a fractured leg in September: report
· Yahoo Sports
Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock did not allow a run in eight September appearances to end the regular season. When he allowed three runs in a relief appearance in Game 2 of the American League wild-card series against the New York Yankees, the meltdown appeared to come out of nowhere.
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In reality, Whitlock had been pitching through pain for weeks. The Boston Heraldreported Friday, Oct. 9 that the 30-year-old right-hander was revealed to have a fracture in his right tibia.
Gabrielle Starr reported that Whitlock worked with the Red Sox staff to manage ongoing pain in his right leg “over the last month of the season,” but the cause of the pain went undiagnosed until he underwent imaging after the Red Sox were eliminated.
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Whitlock finished the season 7-2 with a 1.72 ERA in 54 appearances out of the bullpen. He saved four games, and fashioned a career-low .898 WHIP.
Those numbers might help explain why he and the team were motivated to keep Whitlock on the mound as much as possible despite the injury. Harder to explain is why scans were only performed after the season, not when the pain first arose.
Starr reports that Whitlock will not need surgery on his leg.
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Whitlock has been one of the most valuable relievers for Boston since his 2021 debut, with 196 of his 219 career appearances coming out of the bullpen.
The wild-card game against the Yankees was Whitlock’s seventh career postseason appearance.
Whitlock has two team option years remaining on a contract extension he signed in April 2022. The Red Sox owe him $8.25 million in 2027 and $10.5 million in 2028 if both options are exercised.
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