Garrett Whitlock

Whitlock had a delayed start last season after undergoing hip surgery in 2022, but made his debut in early April. The 27-year-old right-hander opened 2023 in Boston's starting rotation and had mixed results, alternating good starts with bad ones. Combining this inconsistency with a couple of trips to the injured list - both for right elbow issues - was enough to dim Whitlock's fantasy light last season. After missing about three months total, Whitlock returned to the mound in August, this time as a multi-inning reliever. However, he couldn't quite get the handle of his changeup (.312 BA, .559 SLG), which has been a reliable offering since his rookie season. On the plus side, Whitlock struck out 25 over his final 20 innings and still possesses some upside if the Red Sox can ever settle on his role. At this point it's unclear which direction Boston plans to go, but keeping him as a reliever would make sense given he's topped 90 innings just once in his professional career, which was his first full season back in 2018. Read Past Outlooks