Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a bone bruise in his right elbow. Abbie Parr/Associated Press
Two days after righty Garrett Whitlock left his start in Toronto with elbow tightness, Red Sox Manager Alex Cora confirmed that the club doesn’t think the injury is anything serious.
Whitlock, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with what the team described as “inflammation,” has a bone bruise in his elbow, according to Cora. Whitlock underwent an MRI on Monday and was cleared of any structural damage. As MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported Monday, the Red Sox believe Whitlock avoided a serious setback with his elbow and hope to get him back soon.
“It’s just about getting treatment and all that stuff and re-assessing the situation next week,” Cora said. “Obviously, no timetable. But for how bad it looked, or whatever people were thinking ligament-wise and all that stuff, this is the closest thing to good news.”
Whitlock has had elbow issues in the past. As a Yankees prospect in 2019, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the bulk of two seasons. Just two months ago, ulnar neuritis (a tingling sensation) in his elbow landed him on the injured list for a span of a month (from April 28 through May 27). On Sunday, Whitlock described his discomfort as different from what he experienced earlier in the year.
Cora said the bone bruise developed from throwing and got to a point where it was too uncomfortable for Whitlock to continue pitching Sunday. The team believes rest and treatment will get Whitlock back to full strength.
“His delivery, I can’t explain it,” Cora said. “It just flared up and now we’ve got to make sure we take care of him.”
After undergoing hip surgery at the end of last season, Whitlock progressed through spring training slowly and missed the first 10 games of the season before making his season debut on April 11. As he begins his third stint on the injured list Tuesday, he has already been sidelined for 38 of Boston’s first 86 games.
Whitlock is the third member of Boston’s rotation to hit the injured list since the beginning of June, as Chris Sale (shoulder) and Tanner Houck (facial fracture) will be sidelined until August at the earliest. In the week before the All-Star break, the Red Sox plan to move forward with three starting pitchers (Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and James Paxton) while using openers and bullpen games on other days (likely Saturday and Sunday against the A’s). Nick Pivetta will remain in the bullpen as a multi-inning option; recent minor league signee Dinelson Lamet is not a candidate to pitch until after the break.
It’s likely Whitlock will miss more than the minimum 15 days. The longer he’s shut down from throwing, the longer the process will be to build back up. The hope now, however, is that he can restart his throwing program quickly, much like he did when he hit the injured list in late April.
“We just have to see how he reacts in the next few days,” Cora said. “We’ll map it out and hopefully, he’s back with us soon.”
LEFT-HANDED STARTER James Paxton, who was the AL Pitcher of the Month in June, was placed on paternity leave.
The 34-year-old Paxton is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in nine starts this season.
To fill their spots on the roster, the team recalled left-hander Brandon Walter and right-hander Tayler Scott from Triple-A Worcester.
TREVOR STORY faced right-handed reliever John Schreiber in a live batting practice session at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
Trevor Story took some live batting practice from John Schreiber at Fenway Park…Today's Hot Take is presented by @wasabi_cloud.
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Schreiber, who is on the 60-day injured list (retroactive to May 16) with a right teres major strain, is nearing a return. He could be activated soon after the All-Star Break. He has a 2.12 ERA in 18 relief outings this season.
“The goal for Schreiber is get this live BP in and hopefully go on a rehab assignment this weekend,” Cora said. “Try to get two of them (rehab appearances) before the All-Star break and then see what we’ve got after. He’s recovering well. He’s feeling great. So this is moving fairly fast.”
Cora said there still is not timetable for Story’s return. The shortstop underwent elbow surgery in January.
Story said June 12 that he expects to be able to play shortstop for the Red Sox sometime in August. His injury requires a longer buildup for throwing than hitting. And so Story said he is preparing for the possibility of being activated as the designated hitter at some point in July.
The slugger is in the second year of a six-year, $140-million contract. The 30-year-old played second base for the Red Sox last season but he is expected to play shortstop when he returns from injury. He had a down year in his first season with Boston, batting .238 with a .303 on-base percentage, .434 slugging percentage, .737 OPS, 16 homers, 22 doubles, 66 RBI, 53 runs and 16 stolen bases in 94 games. A durable player in Colorado, Story dealt with a hand and heel injury that limited him last year.
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