Red Sox Shut Down Flamethrower With 18 Games to Play

the Boston Red Sox flamethrower has been shut down from throwing.

Jul 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Justin Slaten (63) pitches during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox have just 18 games left in the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season and it's completely up in the air whether or not the club will get one of their key relievers back before it wraps up.

Boston has been without the services of righty Justin Slaten since Aug. 12 due to right elbow inflammation. On Monday, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy shared that while Slaten had been throwing, he has been shut down with the same "symptoms" popping up that landed him on the Injured List in the first place, as shared on X by Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald.

"Chad Tracy said Justin Slaten began throwing and things were 'going well,' but then some of [the] same symptoms that prompted the IL stint returned, so the Red Sox shut him down again," Starr wrote.

The Red Sox's Bullpen Is Up In The Air

Jun 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Justin Slaten (63) pitches during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Boston currently has the second-best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.14, just behind the New York Yankees at 3.05. Slaten would help to make this bullpen even better, but unfortunately he's completely up in the air now after being shut down.

Before landing on the Injured List, Slaten had a 4.60 ERA in 36 total appearances, to go along with a 39-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 1/3 innings pitched. His ERA doesn't sound great on paper, but Slaten is one of the Red Sox's key high-leverage options and he was really starting to find his groove before landing on the Injured List. Slaten logged a 1.59 ERA and a 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his final 13 appearances before getting hurt.

Any time a hurler is dealing with an elbow issue, it's nerve-wracking. For the Red Sox, the best-case scenario would Slaten being alright and getting back on the hill before the regular season comes to an end. But, now we wait.

On the bright side, the Red Sox have two legit hurlers working their way back who could help the bullpen down the stretch. They are Tanner Houck and Garrett Crochet. Houck is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Tuesday. Crochet has been throwing and he threw his first bullpen on Friday. The expectation is that he'll throw another bullpen on Tuesday.

Both Houck and Crochet are trending up, while Slaten is up in the air. There are certainly things to watch in the Red Sox's bullpen over the next few weeks, to say the least.