Red Sox Dealt Unfortunate Garrett Whitlock News

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Red Sox Dealt Unfortunate Garrett Whitlock News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ezra Lombardi | Last updated May 28, 2026 3:35 PM ET

It will be a longer absence than originally reported for Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock, as the right-hander was placed on the injured list retroactive to May 25th.

The news of his injury came out on Wednesday afternoon, when it was revealed that Whitlock was dealing with a sore left knee after hyperextending it on the wet mound during Sunday's rain-soaked affair with the Minnesota Twins.

Imaging came back clean, and manager Chad Tracy told the media that Whitlock was likely unavailable for the rest of the Atlanta series but does not expect him to need an IL stint. Though after Wednesday night's win against the Braves, Tracy provided an update that hinted at the ailment being more serious than originally thought.

Whitlock was given an injection to help the soreness, with his status considered day-to-day depending on how he responds to the treatment. Clearly, this did not go over as they had hoped, as MassLive's Chris Cotillo was first to report the move that sent him to the IL.

In a corresponding move, the Red Sox called up left-hander Tyler Samaniego, who was just optioned to Triple-A on Sunday to make room for Danny Coulombe's return from the IL. Samaniego has been stellar this season, boasting a 1.04 ERA across 18 appearances (17.1 innings).

Garrett Whitlock placed on the IL. Tyler Samaniego has rejoined the Red Sox.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 28, 2026

Whitlock's situation seems to be yet another case of Boston downplaying an injury that ends up resulting in a much longer absence than originally expected. This trend began with ace Garrett Crochet, who was placed on the IL retroactive to April 26th with shoulder inflammation but felt "pretty confident" that he would be able to return after the 15 days were up. Now over a month later, Crochet has only progressed to throwing bullpens and has no clear timeline for a return.

Roman Anthony's situation was the same. After his hand injury on May 4th, the team waited days before placing him on the IL, remaining confident that he would only miss a few games. But Anthony's injury has proven much more significant, as he was unable to grip the bat for weeks and has only just started taking pain-free swings this week.

So, when it was announced that Whitlock was experiencing some soreness in the knee, antennas were justifiably up to see if it would eventually be revealed as a more serious issue. The veteran right-hander has been the Red Sox's stabilizing force in late-innings, and his loss will be a big one for the 23-31 club.

If there is any silver lining, Boston does have solid bullpen arms waiting for an opportunity in Triple-A. In addition to Samaniego, the Red Sox recently optioned right-hander Zack Kelly (3.31 ERA) to the minors when they promoted Tyron Guerrero. The club also has 36-year-old Tommy Kahnle (1.56 ERA in Triple-A) waiting for an opportunity to make his season debut.

It remains to be seen how much time the Red Sox expect Whitlock to miss. If he is dealing with something more severe than just minor soreness, the aforementioned depth will likely be tested.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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