Red Sox Facing Roster Crunch Thanks to Garrett Whitlock Return

The Boston Red Sox dropped the first game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road on Monday and will try to get back into the win column on Tuesday night.

Fortunately, the Red Sox are expected to have a big piece back in the mix in righty Garrett Whitlock. On Monday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reported that Whitlock is in Tampa Bay and expected to be activated on Tuesday.

"Garrett Whitlock is here and will rejoin the roster tomorrow," Abraham wrote.

The Red Sox Have A Decision To Make

May 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock (22) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Boston has had some issues with righties in the bullpen recently. Whitlock hasn't pitched in a game in the majors since May 24, which is difficult in itself because he has a 3.20 ERA in 20 outings and is one of the best set-up guys in baseball. So, losing him obviously wasn't great. On top of that, Greg Weissert and Ryan Watson have both struggled. So, Boston has been hurting for another high-leverage hurler and fortunately, will get one back in Whitlock.

It's going to be interesting to see how Boston handles the bullpen with Whitlock coming back. Tommy Kahnle recently was promoted to the big leagues so Boston didn't lose him to free agency. He has pitched in one game for the club and it was a scoreless outing in two innings of work. Boston promoted Alec Gamboa on Monday and he pitched 2/3 of an inning. It was a scoreless showing, but an easy move would be sending him back down to Triple-A.

Then, of course, Boston could make a move with either Weissert or Watson. With Weissert, he still has an option left. He has a 3.91 ERA in 27 outings and has been the better option of the two. With Watson, the Red Sox would have to designate him for assignment, unless there's an injury, and likely lose him because of Rule 5 rules. But he has a 5.15 ERA in 22 outings. The Red Sox's bullpen already isn't as good as it could be because Tyler Samaniego, with a 2.66 ERA in 20 outings, was demoted down to the minors, rather than making a change with Watson or Weissert.

Boston is struggling and now is 10 games below .500. It doesn't have the luxury of not having its best players on the big league roster. Arguably, with Whitlock coming back, it should be the end of the Watson era.

Add us as a preferred source on Google