Boston Red Sox
Whitlock is eligible to return to the Red Sox lineup next week.
Garrett Whitlock will make a rehab appearance for Worcester on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The Red Sox pitching staff had an eventful weekend with injury updates, demotions, signings, potential call-ups, and trade rumors all flying while Boston is visiting the Yankees in the Bronx.
Brayan Bello got sent down to the WooSox and will reportedly appear there Sunday. Garrett Whitlock was moved to 60-day IL with his injury, making room for new reliever Joe La Sorsa. And Jake Bennett is reportedly unlikely to make his scheduled start in Worcester on Sunday, so he could be in line to take Bello’s place in the rotation.
According to a few sources, it’s pretty unlikely that Jake Bennett will make his scheduled start on Sunday with Triple-A Worcester.
With Brayan Bello demoted to Worcester and the Red Sox needing a fifth starter to fill his spot, Bennett is the logical call up. https://t.co/2VZhhq0z73
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) June 5, 2026
However, Boston also called up Alec Gamboa from Worcester on Saturday, as a corresponding move to its placing Jovani Moran on the 15-day IL. Gamboa has gotten some work as a starter in Worcester, but could be used in relief as well.
Here are updates on each pitcher’s status entering Saturday night.
Aroldis Chapman
Chapman has been limping off the mound a bit over his last few appearances, and the lingering injury was fairly apparent after Friday night’s win.
That’s because Chapman has a hamstring injury, but has been able to pitch through it so far. His velocity was slightly down on Friday night, which could be related to the injury, but he was still able to get the job done, shutting the door on the Yankees in the ninth.
Interim manager Chad Tracy liked his performance.
“Any time Aroldis is in the game, it’s a good thing,” Tracy said.
MLB teams have been calling the Red Sox gauging their interest in trading away Chapman, along with Whitlock and Justin Slaten, but Boston is reportedly not looking to move off any of the three relievers at this time.
Garrett Whitlock
Whitlock is moving through his rehab process without any setbacks so far. He’s making an appearance with the WooSox on Saturday as part of that recovery timeline, and is eligible to return to Boston as soon as June 9.
It’s unclear if he’ll need more than one rehab outing before he’s ready to come back, but Saturday’s stint might bring more transparency into that decision.
So, no Whitlock for the series in the Bronx, but he could be expected back shortly after, depending on how he feels after Saturday. His 1-2 punch with Chapman has been one of the bright spots for the Red Sox this season.
Brayan Bello
Bello’s 2026 season has been confusing in a bad way. He’s been tremendous in bulk relief situations, but abysmal as a starter. And that finally came to a head when he was sent down to Worcester this week.
WooSox reporter Tommy Cassell noted Bello will be working as a starter in Worcester, not out of the bullpen. So the goal is clearly to bring Bello back to form and get him back into the rotation.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke about the situation on Friday.
“Really tough conversation, really tough decision, but made that decision with the best interest of Brayan in mind,” Breslow said. “He’s struggled to find the consistency that we saw for a long stretch last year. We have a lot of belief in Brayan as a major league starter, but felt like he was putting a ton of pressure on himself.
“This was no longer the best place for him to reset and work through the struggles.”
“We have a lot of belief in Brayan as a major league starter, but felt like he was putting a ton of pressure on himself, and this was no longer the best place for him to reset and work through the struggles.”
Craig Breslow addressed Brayan Bello being optioned to Triple-A ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1fs7EuZ2UK
— NESN (@NESN) June 5, 2026
Bello has a 6.34 ERA in 2026, and even in Crochet’s absence, he remained the odd man out in the rotation. Now he’ll have an opportunity to find his groove again in Worcester.
Jake Bennett
If Bennett is in line to take Bello’s place in the rotation, it’ll be a big opportunity for him.
Bennett has pitched well in Worcester and had a decent Red Sox debut at the beginning of May when he was called up for the first time. He pitched five innings of 1-run ball against the Astros on May 1, finishing with three strikeouts in Boston’s win.
His next start was less steady; he gave up four runs, all earned, to the Rays and tossed more walks (2) than strikeouts (1). He was sent back down after that outing, but has been working hard to earn another shot in the rotation.
All signs point to Bennett being the call-up in place of Bello, and he could be in line to start Sunday in the Bronx.
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