Garrett Whitlock diagnosed with ligament damage in elbow

Garrett Whitlock suffered ligament damage to his pitching elbow, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). The Boston right-hander will undergo further evaluation tomorrow to determine if he can avoid surgery.

It was the outcome the team and its fans feared last week. Whitlock reported elbow soreness resulting from early rehabilitation for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. He was recovering from an oblique strain that had sidelined him since mid-April and was hoping to return to the MLB team in the coming days.

Instead, there appears to be a good chance his 2024 season will be over. If Whitlock needed surgery, that would also threaten his ’25 campaign. Whitlock previously underwent a Tommy John procedure during his career. This came up again in 2019 when he was part of the Yankees farm system. Whitlock also had two stints on the elbow-related injured list in 2023, the latter of which cost him five weeks between July and August. Neither had any ligament damage, but this injury unfortunately appears to be more serious.

The 27-year-old hasn’t had a full season as a starting pitcher since his time in the minors. He was a great multi-inning relief weapon for his first two MLB campaigns. Boston gave him 10 starts last year before he was placed on injured reserve in July. Whitlock worked out of the bullpen after his return. The Sox reinstated him to the starting lineup to open this year. He allowed just four runs in 18 1/3 innings before the oblique injury.

Cooper Criswell entered the rotation behind Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford And Tanner Houck. Signed to a $1 million contract last winter after being non-tendered by the Rays, Criswell was quietly excellent in his first 29 1/3 frames for the Sox. He owns a 2.76 ERA with a solid 23.3% strikeout percentage and a nice 5.8% walk rate.

Criswell, who will take the ball tomorrow against his former team in Tampa Bay, should occupy a rotation spot for the foreseeable future. Pitcher departures could be an area that first-year baseball director Craig Breslow and his staff look to address before the deadline, assuming they remain in playoff contention. Boston blanked the Rays tonight to get back to .500 at 24-24. They’re a long way from staying with the Yankees and Orioles atop the AL East, but are firmly in the Wild Card picture.

Although Boston’s rotation has been a surprising strength thus far, their starting five lacks experience. Pivetta is the only member of the group to start 30 MLB games in a season. He and Bello are the only ones to surpass the 130 inning threshold at the major league level.

This lack of volume is one of the main reasons Boston signed Lucas Giolito, who had been one of the league’s most durable pitchers, to a two-year free agent contract. Giolito immediately down with partially torn UCL during spring training. He underwent an internal reinforcement procedure and will miss the entire season.

Even if Whitlock manages to avoid going under the knife, he certainly faces a long-term absence. The Sox will place him on the 60-day injured list when they need a 40-man roster spot. Whitlock, who signed an extension in 2022, is playing this season on a salary of $3.25 million. He will receive successive salaries of $5.25 million and $7.25 million over the next two seasons. Boston has a $10.5 million option on his services for the 2027 campaign.