Fiery Red Sox Hurler Reportedly May Be Odd Man Out Of Boston Rotation

The Boston Red Sox have had plenty of questions swirling around their starting rotation.

Boston entered the 2023 season with seven pitchers vying for the club's five starting rotation spots. Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, James Paxton, Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Nick Pivetta all were poised to compete for spots heading into spring training and left many wondering who would be pushed to the bullpen.

The Red Sox haven't really had to answer the question yet to this point as the staff has dealt with a wide range of injuries. Paxton, Bello, and Whitlock all were injured to start the season, but the club finally nearly is healthy. Bello is back in the rotation, Paxton could be back as soon as May 10, and Whitlock should follow up shortly.

Boston currently is one of the hottest teams in baseball and could finally have all of its starters healthy as soon as next week. The Red Sox finally will have to decide who to move to the bullpen and Nick Pivetta reportedly may be the odd man out, according to The Athletic's Chad Jennings.

"Given their track records and most recent outings, (Chris Sale) and (Corey Kluber) are presumably locked into the rotation, at least for now," Jennings said. "(James Paxton), too, is a veteran starter with no bullpen experience to speak of. The team briefly optioned (Brayan Bello) last month, but they made clear that was a temporary situation and Bello was excellent in his return to the big league rotation on Saturday (he's pitching again in Thursday's series finale.

"(Tanner Houck) and (Garrett Whitlock) have thrived as relievers in the past, but the Red Sox have insinuated that they would like to keep developing Houck and Whitlock as starters. Just last week, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom singled out the importance of 'younger pitchers taking steps forward' in the Red Sox rotation. He noted that putting young starters Josh Winckowski and (Kutter Crawford) into the bullpen has paid off -- for both the players and the team -- but said that's not necessarily a rule of thumb for everyone."

Pivetta currently is leading all Red Sox potential starters in ERA at 4.99 and innings pitched with 32. The 30-year-old has been a mainstay in the Boston rotation since being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020, but at this point, it may make sense for him to move to the bullpen. Sale, Kluber, and Bello seem to be the biggest locks for the Red Sox rotation. Paxton is a nine-year veteran with a 3.59 career and should at least get an extended look to see if he can return to form. One of Whitlock and Houck likely also will move to the bullpen and that question also still is up in the air.

It's certainly nice to have depth and Boston's injuries this season have shown the importance of it. Even if Pivetta moves to the bullpen, he may return to the rotation at some point. All in all, it seems like the most likely short-term move.

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