Slaten seems like a steal
Coming into this past offseason Justin Slaten had only ever pitched five games above Double-A, but what he’d shown was so tantalizing that when he was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox made him their primary (and only) target.
Two weeks into his rookie season, you’d probably think Slaten’s been pitching in the big leagues for years.
The 26-year-old righthander has proven himself an absolute steal, and through his first six MLB games he’s posted a sterling 0.87 ERA over 10.1 innings. He’s held opposing batters to a minuscule .094 average, and on Sunday he delivered arguably the most important relief outing of the season, drawing a must-have double play on one pitch to escape a sixth inning jam before going 2.2 innings in the club’s eventual 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Slaten didn’t allow any earned runs in spring training either, and this week the rookie acknowledged that his big league journey has gotten off to as good a start as he could have ever anticipated.
“It feels good to be throwing well right now, the only thing I’m trying to do is come in and throw strikes. That’s really all you can do,” Slaten said before crediting teammates like Garrett Whitlock, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen for their leadership. “Really since I showed up in Fort Myers they’ve helped me and talked to me about what it’s going to be like and what you’ve got to do to compete.”
How has Slaten been so successful? Slaten epitomizes everything the new Red Sox braintrust values in a pitcher. He fills the strike zone with nasty stuff, and he brings the kind of consistent, level-headed approach that has allowed him to capitalize on his big opportunity without getting overwhelmed by the big stage.
“His ability to be in the strike zone early and attack, hunt, hunt first pitch strikes, hunt outs,” said pitching coach Andrew Bailey. “The mindset he has, he’s very carefree, a very stoic type of demeanor, it seems like he’s been out there for years. He’s got really good stuff, he’s very talented as well, so credit to him for the work he put in in the offseason taking advantage of the opportunity.”
“He doesn’t get too emotional,” said manager Alex Cora. “He got the double play, we were all excited in the dugout and he’s like I’ve got to go back and get three more outs. He’s a good one, he’s really good.”
In many respects Slater’s journey has mirrored that of Whitlock, who was also a Rule 5 pick who enjoyed a historically dominant rookie season back in 2021. Slaten currently occupies the same multi-inning relief role Whitlock started out in, but while Whitlock said he’s been happy to offer the rookie advice, Slaten deserves all the credit for everything he’s accomplished.
“All the veterans probably appreciate he’s saying that they’re helping him out, but he’s doing it himself,” Whitlock said. “I’m extremely proud of him and I’m sure everyone else would say the same thing.”
His teammates echoed that sentiment.
“He’s nasty man, he’s nasty,” Jansen said. “He’s going to be great man.”
As a Rule 5 pick Slaten has to stay on the Red Sox big league roster for the entire season or be offered back to the Texas Rangers, but at this point it doesn’t look like he’s in any danger of going anywhere. There will inevitably be some bumps in the road, but Slaten has shown from day one that he belongs, and he should have a long and bright future in Boston ahead of him.
“I know eventually I’ll give up runs and hopefully I’m around long enough to give up a lot of runs,” Slaten said. “It’s one of those things in this game where it’s going to happen and you just have to try and make sure when it rains it doesn’t pour.”
Refsnyder to play some 1B
Red Sox manager Alex Cora provided an update on the club’s two rehabbing position players, saying outfielder Rob Refsnyder and Vaughn Grissom are both off to good starts and will rejoin the WooSox this week after spending Monday back with the big league club in Boston.
Cora also noted that Refsnyder (broken toe) is feeling great after running around a lot on Sunday and will have a chance to play a new position as he works his way back.
“We’re going to do is reintroduce him to first base and get some repetitions there,” Cora said. “I think that’s going to help us versatility-wise, and especially with what we’re trying to accomplish now moving guys around, so that will be good for him.”
Grissom (left hamstring strain) played in his first two rehab games with the WooSox as a designated hitter over the weekend and is expected to get back on the field this week, primarily at second base. Cora said he could also play a few innings at shortstop during his rehab assignment but that second will be the focus. Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain) is continuing to make progress and Chris Martin (left shoulder soreness) was feeling “OK” Monday morning.
There is also question over who will pitch Thursday’s series finale. Cora said the club is considering going with a bullpen game and using an opener, but that will depend on how the first three games play out and who is available by that point.
Devers’ shoulder feeling better
One player who should be good to go, hopefully, is Rafael Devers. The All-Star third baseman returned to the lineup Monday after missing four games with shoulder soreness, and Cora said the time off should help prevent the issue from lingering throughout the season.
“I think what we tried to accomplish the last three days was to avoid that, but you never know,” Cora said. “He’s going to continue to swing hard and hopefully make an adjustment as far as preparation will help him to be OK. That’s the reason we stayed away from him, he didn’t hit for like two days at one point, but he feels good and hopefully this is it for him.”
Devers was involved in a scary collision with Tyler O’Neill in left field during the seventh inning of Monday’s game, but he remained in the game and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Cora said following the game they’ll keep an eye on him but that Devers said he’s fine.