How Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock Fared In Rehab Start At WooSox's Opening Day

Whitlock completed four innings against the Syracuse Mets

One of the Boston Red Sox's big arms is nearing the end of his rehab process.

Friday afternoon marked an important step in the rehab process for Garrett Whitlock, who is closing in on the final stages of his recovery from his season-ending hip surgery last fall. 

Whitlock pitched four innings for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox in possibly his second-to-last outing in the minors before returning to the Boston Red Sox rotation. 

Whitlock struck out six batters in an overall dominant outing against the Syracuse Mets. He allowed just one earned run, six hits, and a 50-to-75 strike-to-ball ratio (66.7%). 

In late September of last year, Whitlock underwent surgery on his hip, sidelining him for the remainder of the 2022 season. The surgery was successful and the hope was that Whitlock would be ready for the start of the 2023 season. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old needed a little more time to get back in action. 

Despite the fairly strong results, there is some concern regarding Whitlock's endurance at this juncture. 

“Whitlock’s clearly still building stamina,” The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier tweeted Friday. “He’s gone from 93-95 (mph) in the first inning to 92-93 in the next couple to 91-92 in the fourth. He (just) issued his first walk with one out in the fourth.”

Whitlock can return to the Red Sox on April 11, and was originally expected to do so after missing two turns through the rotation. His next rehab start will be crucial to meeting that timeline as another steady decline in velocity throughout his next start could keep him down in Worcester. 

Assuming Whitlock gains his stamina back and maintains his high heat, the right-hander will be pitching for the Red Sox by mid-April. 

More MLB: Masataka Yoshida Joins Impressive Company After Electric Debut For Red Sox