The Boston Red Sox will get an antidote for their bullpen in the coming weeks. Justin Slaten has officially been cleared to start rehab and will return to the major league roster within the coming weeks, just in time for the September call-ups and the playoff push.
Slaten was amazing in 2024, posting a 2.93 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 55.1 innings, with a 1.012 WHIP and a 2.61 FIP. He had a good K/9 with 9.4, but his H/9 was at 7.6, which means hitters were making lots of contact on his pitches, as he gave up 47 hits in that period.
Justin Slaten Nearing Red Sox Return After Missing Over 2.5 Months
This year, however, he was a bit worse in his first 14 games of the season. He posted a 6.57 ERA with 11 hits, nine earned runs, and one home run in that time with 61 batters faced. But after that, he never gave up a single run in those last 10 games before getting hurt. He had only given up three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
He ended up getting injured due to shoulder inflammation and had problems with his neck, and he was placed on the 15-day IL on June 1st. It was originally attributed to fatigue, but it was actually a nerve problem in his neck that nobody had been aware of. He was supposed to start his rehab assignment relatively soon, but that statement never materialized.
He was moved to the 60-day IL on June 28th to make room for the return of Chris Murphy. He started throwing at a mild pace in early July, but they pivoted him to plyometric exercises instead to focus on strengthening his shoulder. About a week after the All-Star break, he returned to throwing and playing catch. Then, when August started, he began throwing off the mound and was throwing bullpen sessions shortly after.
Just four days ago, he was throwing live batting practice and was looking much better. On Monday, he was officially sent to AAA Worcester to start his rehab assignment.
Now with Slaten returning soon and Brennan Bernardino being called back up (as he was resting in AAA), the Red Sox are going to have the bullpen at full strength again, just in time for the playoff push.