CLEVELAND — Initially when Garrett Whitlock became the second Red Sox starter to be placed on the injured list last Tuesday, manager Alex Cora said reliever Josh Winckowski wasn’t in the mix to take a spot in the battered rotation. Now, after Winckowski made a spot start Sunday in Pittsburgh, it appears the right-hander will get an extended chance to remain there.
Cora said Winckowski will “most likely” remain in the team’s rotation for the coming weeks with Whitlock (oblique strain) and Nick Pivetta (flexor strain) sidelined. Winckowski, who allowed one run and three hits in 3 ⅓ innings to start Sunday’s win, is in line to pitch again Saturday at home against the Cubs. In Cleveland, the Red Sox plan to pitch Tanner Houck on Tuesday and Brayan Bello on Thursday with Wednesday’s starter to be determined. Kutter Crawford, Winckowski and Houck are likely to face the Cubs before the club can reset things with an off day Monday.
Winckowski, who competed for a rotation spot before ultimately being sent to the bullpen to start the season, is excited to join a group that has surprised baseball with a league-leading 1.73 ERA through 23 games.
“The guys have been lights-out. On Friday and Saturday, Bello and Kutter did the thing and led the way. They gave me a good platform to build off of. Working with (pitching coach Andrew) Bailey and different stuff, you can definitely see the difference.
“There’s always noise in the offseason and whatnot. Specifically, people were saying we needed help in the rotation and that the rotation sucked. So I’m really happy for all the guys to be proving everyone wrong. I think the team definitely carries a chip on its shoulder to go win as many games as we can.”
Winckowski was a starter throughout his minor league career and broke into the majors in the rotation in 2022 during a stretch when the Red Sox’ starting five was significantly banged up. He posted a 5.89 ERA and 4.95 FIP in 15 outings (14 starts) that year before making the 2023 team as a late-inning reliever. In 2023, the righty shined in the late innings, posting a 2.88 ERA and 8/8 K/9 rate in 84 ⅓ innings (all in relief except for a one-inning start as an opener Aug. 20). He got off to an uneven start as a late-inning option for Cora this year, posting a 4.63 ERA while allowing 16 hits in 11 ⅔ relief innings before Sunday’s start.