Boston Red Sox To Call Up Garrett Whitlock, Send Kutter Crawford Down to AAA

One day after losing slugging outfielder Adam Duvall to a broken wrist, the Boston Red Sox starting rotation is getting healthier.

The team is set to bring back Garrett Whitlock from the injured list and will send Kutter Crawford down in a corresponding move, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Kutter Crawford sent down to make room for Garrett Whitlock, source says.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 11, 2023

Whitlock will make his season debut on Tuesday night against the unbeaten Rays. He's been out through the early going of the season while still recovering from a hip injury and surgery that ended his season early last year.

He's made two rehab starts this year. For AAA Worcester, he went four innings, allowing one earned run with six strikeouts. For AA Portland, he went six innings, allowing one earned run with eight strikeouts. He was shuffled to AA for the second start because of bad weather.

The 26-year-old Whitlock was a Rule 5 selection from the Yankees before the 2021 season and was a revelation, helping the Red Sox advance to the American League Championship Series. He's widely regarded as one of the best moves of the Chaim Bloom tenure in Boston and signed a four-year, $18.75 million contract during the 2022 season.

He will be transitioning to a full-time starting rotation role this year after spending 2021 in the bullpen and doing a bit of both in 2022. The stability in his role should help Whitlock find a rhythm in his preparation -- and his contract escalates based on innings pitched -- which are easier to achieve if he's starting.

He has a lifetime 12-6 record with a 2.73 ERA and has recorded eight career saves. He made nine starts last season and 22 relief appearances.

His addition back to the rotation marks the first significant step towards getting the Red Sox rotation whole, as Brayan Bello and James Paxton both could be activated by the end of the month.

When that happens, those three will connect with Chris Sale, Corey Kluber and Nick Pivetta. That's six starters for five sports, so one could surprisingly be sent to the bullpen, or the team could employ a six-man rotation, which Buster Olney of ESPN discussed last week with our own Brady Farkas.

The Crawford move to AAA is tough, but understandable. He's a guy that Red Sox fans would likely rather see in the majors instead of Ryan Brasier or Kaleb Ort, but by sending the righty to AAA, the team can keep him stretched out as a starter should the need arise for him to come back to the majors. With this rotation being full of injury risks, that is certainly a possible need.

The 27-year-old Crawford is in his third major league season, all with the Red Sox. He debuted in 2021 and appeared in one game, while he appeared in 21 in 2022. He's started two games for the Red Sox this year, going 1-1 with an 8.00 ERA.

The Red Sox and Rays play tonight at 6:40 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The Rays are looking to move to 11-0 on the season, which would be the best start since the 1987 Brewers.

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