Inside The Red Sox

Alex Cora Implies Red Sox Starter Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day

Boston could open the season a man short

Scott Neville

Alex Cora Implies Red Sox Starter Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day
Alex Cora Implies Red Sox Starter Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day /
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The Boston Red Sox might open the season without one of their best arms.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora made an interesting comment regarding star pitcher Garrett Whitlock, who is working his way back from an offseason hip surgery.

"He's throwing the ball well, he's moving well," Cora told MLB.com's Ian Browne on Monday. "Not yet doing pitcher-fielding practice. We're not concerned. We've got a plan. We'll see where we're at in the upcoming weeks. If he's ready for Opening Day he's ready, but if he's not, he's not going to lose too much time."

This is the first time anyone has implied that Whitlock might not be ready for the start of the season. It was known that he was not participating in fielding drills but nobody seemed to sound any alarms.

The silver lining here is that Cora does not expect Whitlock to miss much time if any. It sounds like he's got a real shot to be ready by Opening Day but realistically could miss a turn or two in the rotation -- barring any setbacks of course.

The other optimistic note is that the starting rotation is seven-strong at the moment. Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, James Paxton, Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck will be vying for spots in the rotation alongside Whitlock. 

A delay of Whitlock's season could allow for Houck to make a few starts before many expect him to move back into a multi-inning reliever role. It also could carve a role for Bello right from the jump.

Either way, Whitlock almost certainly will be pitching for the Red Sox in April.

More MLB: Four Reasons To Be Excited For The 2023 Red Sox With Spring Training Underway

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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