Houck, Whitlock earn spots in Red Sox starting rotation
The Red Sox starting rotation is officially set.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced Friday that Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock have earned the last two spots in the starting rotation, joining Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford.
Cooper Criswell, who was also competing for a rotation spot, will be optioned to Triple-a and remain stretched out as a starter.
Houck and Whitlock have enjoyed strong performances this spring after being limited by injury throughout 2023. Houck has posted a 2.40 ERA over 15 innings with 16 strikeouts against only three walks while demonstrating notably improved velocity, and Whitlock has a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 Grapefruit League innings with 16 strikeouts and two walks. That doesn’t include his recent 5.2 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in a recent minor league game.
Houck, a former firstround pick, and Whitlock, one of the most successful Rule 5 picks in Red Sox history, have both long been viewed as future mainstays of the Red Sox rotation, but to this point haven’t met those expectations. Houck has often struggled to pitch deep into games and last season was limited by offseason back surgery before missing two months after being hit in the head by a line drive. Whitlock has also been plagued by injury, coming into last season rehabbing his surgically repaired hip before spending three separate stints on the injured list, including twice due to a right elbow issue.
Now the pair will get another chance to establish themselves as long-term rotation anchors.
Schilling officially out: Curt Schilling has confirmed that he won’t be among the 2004 World Series champions attending the Red Sox home opener on Apr. 9.
The ex-pitcher has kept a relatively low profile since last September, when he revealed, against their wishes, that Tim and Stacy Wakefield were both battling cancer.
Even though the ex-pitcher has spent over a decade publicly complaining about his former club and miring himself in various controversies, the Red Sox were appalled and infuriated by his decision to publicize the Wakefields’ illnesses. The team quickly issued a statement on the family’s behalf, asking for privacy. Tim passed away three days later, and Stacy passed away at the end of February.
After the Sox unveiled their home opener details on Monday, and the press release specified that all members of the ’04 team were invited to attend, longtime Boston Globe sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy reported that Schilling had declined the invitation.
Schilling hasn’t issued an official statement. Instead, the announcement came via the comments section of one of his Facebook posts. On Wednesday, he weighed in on the San Francisco Giants’ Blake Snell signing by posting a photo of the reigning National League Cy Young with the caption, “Why this guy will never throw 200 innings in a season, in one picture.”