The Boston Red Sox desperately need bullpen help. It's not because they don't already have a good one; it's because of how taxed they are entering the second half of the season. With Justin Slaten possibly returning, it'll be a very good situation to be in for the likes of the Red Sox.
Slaten had been off this year before hitting the IL. In his first 15 games, he had a 5.93 ERA, giving up 9 earned runs on 11 hits. For a ground ball pitcher, he could no longer throw ground balls.
He had gotten much better within those last 9 games, by not allowing a single earned run with only 3 hits in 9.2 innings pitched and 33 batters faced. This was until the end of May, when he was officially put on the IL for shoulder inflammation.
Justin Slaten Will Help the Red Sox Upon His Return
Slaten wasn't throwing again until almost a month later, towards the end of June, when he was ironically placed on the 60-Day IL to make room for the returning Chris Murphy. Then, Alex Cora stated just before the All-Star Break that he was no longer throwing, wanting to do exercises to strengthen his shoulder. However, shortly after the break, Slaten started throwing once again and is now throwing off the mound as of today. Things are looking brighter for him.
It'll help the Red Sox a lot, because Alex Cora has been desperately trying to push his starters to get through 7 innings. Albeit some of them are doing so, with Crochet already going deep into games and Lucas Giolito now following that feat. Brayan Bello is trying his hardest to get to that point, but he isn't the most reliable pitcher to do such a thing.
This means that the bullpen has been in more games with more appearances than they ideally would need to be, and it's tiring them out. Thankfully, they've danced through the raindrops successfully, but that won't stay like that for long.
All it takes is one hard-fought loss because the bullpen was too tired and ended up blowing the game. That could have a huge impact on team chemistry and the mental capacity of the game, and could cause a huge slump if they're not careful. Hopefully, with Slaten possibly returning soon, things will turn out better for them with a healthier and fresher arm.