BOSTON -- Playing in slick and muddy conditions in Sunday’s 6-5 loss to the Twins, Red Sox ace setup man Garrett Whitlock paid the price with a hyperextended left knee. While Boston attempted to treat it as a day-by-day ailment, the club was forced to place Whitlock on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation before Thursday's series finale against the Braves at Fenway Park.
Lefty Tyler Samaniego was recalled from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move.
“First warmup pitch on Sunday, obviously, the conditions were super wet, I kind of slipped and hyperextended my knee and everything,” Whitlock said when discussing when the injury occurred.
Whitlock was unavailable for two games and had a pain-killing injection prior to Tuesday’s 8-0 win over the Braves. The Red Sox initially hoped that would be enough to treat the injury.
“We're just going to see how he responds to that tomorrow, and hopefully we recover quickly from there. We'll just wait and see,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said after the injection.
“Obviously, I'm going to give it everything I can, but yeah, it's still pretty sore,” Whitlock said.
One of the most consistent strengths of the Red Sox this season has been the combo of Justin Slaten, Whitlock and closer Aroldis Chapman.
Slaten will likely get the eighth inning until Whitlock returns.
“Obviously, it's a challenge with the middle relief being where it's at, but as of now, yeah, we’ve just got to keep assessing and see where he’s at,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
Whitlock underwent an MRI earlier this week, which revealed no structural damage.
“Luckily, no structural damage, like no ligament or anything like that. So I’m just kind of trying to get everything out of it now,” Whitlock said.
The injury explains why Whitlock looked so shaky on Sunday, allowing two hits and a run while getting just one out.
“Honestly, I got pretty sped-up just because it was on the very first [warmup] pitch, and then I was like, ‘Man, that didn't feel good.’ And it was just kind of in my head,” Whitlock said. “And then I saw the clock going. I was like, ‘Oh, they didn't stop it. I need to keep throwing.' So yeah, I probably should have taken some time to be like, ‘All right, slow things down.’ But that's part of it. You're just trying to compete and everything. I'm never going to make excuses.”