The Boston Red Sox infield isn’t the only thing in flux during Spring Training. The team spent this winter overhauling their pitching staff, acquiring Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox to add to a talented group that includes Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford.
While the rotation looks talented on paper, injuries have created most of the headlines this spring. Crawford and Bello’s status for Opening Day is currently up in the air and Giolito is working his way back after missing all of last season after undergoing elbow surgery.
With most of the rotation spending more time in the training room than on the mound so far, the Red Sox could use some good news and they got it on when the Spring Training debut of Walker Buehler was announced on Tuesday.
Walker Buehler to Make His Red Sox Spring Training Debut on Sunday
MLB.com’s Ian Browne revealed that Buehler will make his Spring Training debut when the Red Sox host the New York Mets at JetBlue Park on Sunday afternoon. Buehler signed a one-year, $21.5 million contract with Boston last offseason and represents a high-upside signing that could be a wild card in the Red Sox’ rotation.
Walker Buehler expected to make his Red Sox' debut on Sunday.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) February 25, 2025
Buehler was one of the top young pitchers in baseball, posting a 39-13 record and a 2.82 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2018-21 but ran into injury problems late in the 2022 season. The issues resulted in Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2023 campaign and limited his effectiveness as he went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts while battling a hip issue last season.
Despite a disappointing season, Buehler rehabilitated his value in October, posting a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA in four games. Most notably, Buehler threw five shutout innings in a Game 3 victory and earned the save in the Game 5 clincher as the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The right-hander also posted some favorable metrics during the 2024 season including an average fastball velocity of 95 mph (65th percentile among starters) and a groundball rate of 45.9% (69th percentile) according to Baseball Savant.
While Buehler won’t be going through a full outing, he has the chance to join Crochet and Alex Bregman as new Red Sox to have impressive debuts including Bregman’s 3-for-3 performance with a double and a home run in Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Either way, Buehler will take his first step towards becoming a difference maker for the Red Sox in 2025.