Boston Red Sox are reportedly unsure how Garrett Whitlock will fit into their 2025 plans

The immediate future for Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock is up in the air.

According to Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, the team is not yet sure what role Whitlock will fill in 2025. He has been both a starter and reliever in the past, but his 2025 destiny won’t come into focus until the rest of the season. the offseason is happening and the roster has been set.

Per Breslow, out MassLive.com:

“I think we’ll define it,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said of Whitlock’s role during the GM Meetings on Tuesday. “I think those conversations will continue. Fortunately, I think his rehabilitation is going very well. And he’s also open about doing what he can to help us win games.”

First and foremost, Whitlock needs to undergo elbow surgery that will limit him to just four starts in 2024. Unfortunately, injuries have been a theme for him. He had Tommy John surgery earlier in his career and was subsequently only allowed to make 22 appearances in 2023 and four in 2024.

Second, the Red Sox currently have six or seven pitchers who could be starting pitchers, including Whitlock: Bryan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell and Richard Fitts are all rotation candidates. In addition, the team made Nick Pivetta a one-year qualifying offer. If he accepts, he’ll be in the mix too. The Red Sox have also been linked to top-tier starting pitchers on the free agent market and could trade some of their prospects for top pitchers.

With so much up in the air, it’s easy to see why Whitlock’s role is impossible to define at this point. The Red Sox could end up trading some of the aforementioned names, opening up the rotation, or adding them to that list, forcing Whitlock back into the pen.

Heading into his fifth year with the team, Whitlock is 18-11 lifetime with a 3.39 ERA. He made 23 career starts from 103 appearances. He burst onto the scene with a 1.96 ERA in 46 games in 2021. The Red Sox reached the ALCS that season.

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