Houck, Whitlock named to the rotation

The Red Sox starting rotation is officially set.

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. Right-hander Zack Kelly is being optioned as well.

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 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 minor league game.

Houck, a former firstround pick, and Whitlock, one of the most successful Rule 5 picks in Red Sox history, have 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.

Sox: Mizuhara never worked for club

Baseball’s biggest star found himself at the center of a stunning scandal this week when news broke that Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers after questions emerged regarding at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s bank account and allegedly used to pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debts.

Mizuhara was fired after reporters reached out asking about the wire transfers, prompting a rapidly evolving series of events. Ohtani’s lawyers have since said that in the course of responding to the media inquiries they discovered Ohtani had been the victim of a “massive theft” and that the matter would be turned over to the authorities.

The story, which was broken by the Los Angeles Times and ESPN, has quickly ballooned into one of the biggest in sports. One detail that has been repeated by a number of outlets is that prior to working with Ohtani, Mizuhara previously served as an interpreter for the Red Sox and worked with ex-relief pitcher

Hideki Okajima, who pitched for the team from 2007-11.

The Red Sox issued a statement Friday denying that was ever the case.

“We are reaching out to all of you because of reports in various outlets stating that Ippei Mizuhara worked for the Red Sox as an interpreter, which is incorrect,” the statement read. “Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher’s time with the team. Please know that we have thoroughly checked our files to ensure we are providing accurate information.”

No Schilling at home opener

Curt Schilling has confirmed he won’t be among the 2004 World Series champions attending the Red Sox home opener on April 9.

The ex-pitcher has kept a relatively low profile since last September, when he revealed, against their wishes, that his longtime teammate, Tim Wakefield, and his wife Stacy were both battling cancer. Members of the Red Sox were appalled and infuriated. Less than a week later, Tim passed away. Stacy passed away at the end of February.

On Monday, the Sox unveiled their home opener details with a press release that specified that all members of the ’04 team were invited to attend.

Schilling hasn’t made any official statement since the September incident, but ended up weighing in on

Facebook this week. When he reacted to 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,” one Facebook user replied, “Curt, you need to come to Fenway for opening day and get the standing ovation you deserve!”

“No I don’t,” Schilling wrote back. “Not this time. It’s about the 04 team and Wake, and we all know the media, CHB in particular, will be writing things that have nothing to do with either of those things, even more were I to attend.”

A point of clarification: “CHB” means “curly-haired boyfriend,” the nickname Red Sox outfielder Carl Everett gave Boston Globe sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy in 2000. Shaughnessy was the first to report that Schilling wouldn’t attend the home opener.

Schilling then pivoted to a more contrite tone.

“Let the focus be on 04 and Wakey and Stacey,” he continued. “I’ll forever regret what happened but I cannot in good conscience put my self in a position that would detract from the recognition that team and the Wakefields deserve. (For what it’s worth) I wrote a letter to all the people whose opinion matters to me, so the people I care about know.”

Sox fall to Jays 5-1

Featuring a roster comprised primarily of minor leaguers, the Red Sox fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Friday afternoon. Enmanuel Valdez hit a solo home run to drive in Boston’s lone run, and Pablo Reyes also went 1 for 3.

More roster cuts

The Red Sox made two roster cuts late Thursday night following the club’s 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, optioning infielder David Hamilton and infielder/ outfielder Romy Gonzalez to Triple-a. The Red Sox have 38 players remaining in big league camp, including seven non-roster invitees.

Two of those non-roster invitees, first baseman C. J. Cron and left-hander Joely Rodriguez, have reportedly triggered opt-out provisions in their contracts, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. The Red Sox now have until Sunday afternoon to decide whether to add them to the big league roster or allow them to become free agents.

Up next

Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta will each make their final starts of the spring in Sunday’s splitsquad games, with Bello facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton while Pivetta takes on the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers. Isaiah Campbell and Greg Weissert are also scheduled to take the mound against Pittsburgh, with first pitch scheduled for 1: 05 p. m., and Josh Winckowski will follow Pivetta against the Twins, with first pitch slated for 6:05 p.m.