Red Sox $21 Million Veteran Acknowledges Uphill Battle To Keep Starting Job

All Walker Buehler wants is the ball in the playoffs...

Jul 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler (0) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night was about as painful as they come, but there was one silver lining.

Starting pitcher Walker Buehler not only threw the ball well, but he also bested Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, one of the top contenders for National League Cy Young honors. Wheeler went six innings and gave up two earned runs; Buehler allowed the same over seven innings.

Of course, Wheeler struck out 10 batters to Buehler's four, and the former has a 2.39 ERA while the latter owns a 5.72. But it was a step in the right direction for Buehler in his quest to stay in the rotation.

Buehler knows that with the trade deadline looming, he's on the chopping block to be moved to the bullpen if the Red Sox acquire another starter. Even if they don't, that might happen in a shortened playoff series, provided Boston makes it that far.

“I keep seeing all this stuff about guys starting playoff games. At this point, I’m not a guy that can do that,” said Buehler, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “My whole career, that’s what I’ve done and done really well. I think that’s the goal, to stay in that conversation to start playoff games when we get there.”

Buehler, who told reporters he did some "biomechanical work" in Atlanta during the All-Star break, still has a hill to climb if he wants to be acknowledged as a top-three member of the Red Sox rotation by October. But for now, he has to focus on making himself one of the top five.

“Definitely positive, but I don’t think this was the best game of my career or anything like that,” Buehler said of Monday, per Cotillo. “A positive step forward, but not the end all and be all.

“Definitely, it’s one of those teams where if you threw the ball well, you knew you threw the ball well. It’s a big thing for me, internal, but at the end of the day, I had 16 or 17 that weren’t what I want. I’m not gonna lay everything down and say, ‘I’m back’ after one. But it definitely feels good for me personally.”

Buehler has said all the right things all season, but the return on his $21 million contract has been subpar. Perhaps Monday was a step toward turning that narrative around.