Garrett Whitlock’s career year, including a fractured right tibia that wasn’t properly diagnosed until after the Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs last week, the 30-year-old reliever told the Herald Friday.
During the final month of the season, the right-hander worked with the Red Sox staff to manage lingering soreness in his right leg so he could continue pitching. He did not undergo imaging until after the American League Wild Card Series.
Whitlock said he would wear boots for about six weeks, but no surgery was necessary. Even with the prescribed rest, he is on track to have a normal offseason and hopes to be ready for spring training.
Whitlock is the second Red Sox player in as many weeks to reveal he played for several weeks through pain without being sent for imaging. After Roman Anthony left Game 1 of the wild card round after two at-bats, imaging revealed a re-aggravation of the hand injury that sidelined him from early May to late August as well as additional muscle damage in his wrist.
Whitlock posted a career-best 1.72 ERA in 52 regular-season appearances, with 59 strikeouts and just nine walks in 52 1/3 innings this season. Dealing with what he now knows was a fractured tibia, he posted a 0.00 ERA over eight regular-season appearances in September, with six hits, one unearned run, two walks and nine strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
Game 2 of the Wild Card Series was only the second time the Red Sox had Whitlock pitch more than one inning this year. He allowed three earned runs on three hits, with three walks and a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings, but it was the second inning of work in which he really worked. He faced four batters in the bottom of the seventh, but recorded only one out before manager Chad Tracy finally made a pitching change.
Whitlock is Boston’s longest-tenured active pitcher, dating back to his big league debut in April 2021. In the Red Sox’s six seasons since stealing him from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft, he owns a 2.93 ERA in 219 games (23 starts), with 402 strikeouts and 85 walks in 366 innings.
The Red Sox hold a 2027-28 team option on Whitlock, who they originally signed to a four-year contract worth $19.25 million for the 2023-26 seasons.
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