Justin Slaten is proving to be an elite arm
Through the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign, the Red Sox bullpen has been a strength. That is partly due to a few familiar faces such as Justin Slaten. He has been a force out of the bullpen in his second year in a Red Sox uniform.
Through 10 outings this season, the Texas native has posted a 4.00 ERA and struck out eight batters. He has been hard to get on base against, as the talented 27-year-old has held opponents to a .129 batting average. Since the calendar flipped to April, he has taken his game to another level.
In seven games this month, Slaten has not allowed an earned run and added two saves to his resume. He has only surrendered one hit, which came on April 3 against Baltimore. Regardless of the opponent, Slaten has been mowing down hitters and looked like one of the best relievers in the American League.Â
While Slaten’s ERA is a little high, that is due to one appearance. On March 3 against Baltimore, the New Mexico college product allowed four runs on three hits. That is the only time he has allowed an earned run all year. Other than that outing, he has been an arm that Alex Cora can rely on, just like last year.
During his impressive start, Slaten has also shown that he can make adjustments. This year, he has used his curveball more, which he only threw eight percent of the time last season. So far, it has produced a 55.6 percent whiff rate, and nobody has gotten a hit off it. Those are encouraging results just a few weeks into the regular season.
Due to his dominant start, the talented righty has gotten his fair share of save opportunities. If he can build on his success, the Red Sox may have a new closer in Slaten that they can rely on for years.Â