BOSTON -- The date was Sept. 22, 2024, and the Red Sox were getting ready to take their final road trip of the season to Toronto, when Garrett Whitlock popped into manager Alex Cora’s office.
At the time, Whitlock was just a few months removed from an internal bracing procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. But through that time of monotonous rehabilitation, Whitlock gained some clarity that he wanted to share with his manager.
“He came to the office, and he was like, ‘AC, I want to be in the bullpen. I want to lead over there.’ And I was like, ‘Well, if you want to, we’ll talk to the front office. We'll go from there’. But that was kind of the first time in three years that he was convicted -- this is the role I want,” Cora said.
It was a decision that wound up having a profound impact on the 2025 season for the Red Sox.
Perhaps overshadowed by the supremely dominant season that closer Aroldis Chapman had was that Whitlock was impenetrable the final three months of the regular season.
Though things ended on a sour note for Whitlock, when he threw a season-high 47 pitches while taking the loss in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, that shouldn’t overshadow a season that was probably as underrated as any member of the team.
Over his final 32 outings of the regular season, spanning July 4-Sept. 26, Whitlock had 17 holds while allowing just two earned runs in 31 innings (0.58 ERA). In that span, he didn’t allow a homer while walking just five and striking out 41.
So why was Whitlock, a starter throughout his time in the Yankees' farm system who made 23 starts for Boston as a swingman from ’22-’24, so sure the bullpen was his best path forward?
“It was one of those things where I was thinking in my head, ‘I’ve only been hurt once as a reliever [for a short IL stint in ‘21],” Whitlock said. “Basically, I've only ever been hurt as a starter, so maybe relieving might be the best way for me to stay healthy. And so it was more of that process than results or anything like that. I was just like, ‘Hey, listen, I want to be healthy, and I’m sick and tired of being in pain.’ So that was kind of how that came about.”
That moment of clarity last September is one that Whitlock hasn’t once regretted. It also got him back to the mound faster. If the Red Sox had stretched Whitlock out on a starter’s program in Spring Training, it’s doubtful he would have been on the team’s Opening Day roster.
In a shortened role, he was able to make it back for the start of the season, an impressive turnaround considering he had his surgery on May 30, 2024.
And that allowed Whitlock to do something he had never done before – make it through the entire season on the active roster.
“A lot of credit to our training staff for getting me through rehab and everything,” Whitlock said. “It was a very quick recovery. Our medical staff, they're the best in business, and I couldn't do it without them.”
For Whitlock, this was a season in which he came full circle. Not only was he on a playoff team for the first time his rookie year in ‘21, but it was the only other season he was used exclusively as a reliever.
“Very similar to ‘21 as far as the stuff,” said Cora. “We pushed him hard early in the season. It's not that we forgot he had surgery, but we kind of labeled him for the multi-inning guy, and it wasn't working, he wasn't throwing strikes. And he made an adjustment and started pounding the strike zone, and here we are.”
In all, Whitlock made 62 appearances spanning 72 innings. He allowed 54 hits, 18 earned runs while punching out a career-high 91 and allowing only two home runs.
The 29-year-old could just be entering his prime.
The way his contract is structured, Whitlock figures to be a stalwart in Boston’s bullpen for the next three seasons. The final guaranteed year of his contract is in ‘26. But the Sox hold club options for $8.25 million in ‘27 and $10.5 million in ‘28.