The Boston Red Sox will have one of the strongest bullpens in all of baseball, specifically because of two moves: calling up Brennan Bernardino from AAA Worcester, and having Justin Slaten start his rehab assignment on Tuesday.
So, within a week or so, this bullpen is officially back to its full strength.
Red Sox Bullpen Has Been Bolstered by Latest Roster Moves
Many believe in addition by subtraction, so let's also include the Red Sox demoting Jovani Moran and potentially Isaiah Campbell as well once Slaten is ready to be called up. Possibly Jordan Hicks when the September call-ups come into place as well, or at least, within the few weeks at max.
The team already has an outstanding bullpen with Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock, and Greg Weissert...at times. The problem is that they're getting pretty taxed out there, especially with their recent performances against the Marlins and the Orioles of all teams.
The bullpen has given up 11 runs in 5.8 innings in their last three games. That's posting an ERA of 4.75. Most of those runs were from pitchers out of the guys who were actually carrying their weight. It's mainly with guys like Isaiah Campbell, Jovani Moran, and Jordan Hicks, with a sprinkle of Greg Weissert and Steven Matz in between.
They had to resort to these arms because they're fresher than the overly used arms that were capable of striking out batters and leaving runners on base. With those three pitchers, they're not capable of that, and are in fact, prone to that.
But now, with Slaten coming back soon and Bernardino being a fresher arm (after being taxed as well earlier in the year), they will further epitomize the strength of their bullpen and pitching depth. These are their potential 7th and 8th-inning guys that can lock down those innings.
So now, Weissert and Wilson will not have to make as many appearances out of the bullpen as they usually would. Whitlock and Chapman will have more rest, and things are going to be much easier for the entire bullpen. It's a desperate time to give them rest, and it's perfect timing. Saving these arms for the playoffs will be crucial, and many, if not all, Red Sox fans are happy that this is the case moving forward.