Red Sox make decision on Josh Winckowski’s role heading into 2024 season
With spring training coming to end this week, the Red Sox’ starting rotation is beginning to take shape.
Alex Cora told reporters on Sunday that one candidate vying for a spot is no longer in contention.
Right-hander Josh Winckowski had been preparing as a starter this spring but the club feels he’ll better serve the team back in the bullpen.
“We actually had a conversation with Wink. We’re going to transition him to the bullpen,” said Cora to reporters on Sunday. “He threw the ball well. We’re going to keep him as a multi-inning guy; I don’t envision him as a one-inning guy. It’s very similar to what (Garrett Whitlock) did and Kutter (Crawford). We’ll try to maximize his talent. When he’s out there, we’ll use him for multiple innings. Of course, the game is going to dictate what we do.
“Had a conversation with him. Obviously, he was disappointed, which is great. That’s what we were talking about (regarding competition). If everything goes accordingly and he stays healthy and he throws the ball the way he’s supposed to, he should be with us.”
Boston initially broached the idea of Winckowski transitioning into a starter last September. New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow felt there was untapped potential in the righty.
“Someone who can get both righties and lefties out, someone who can maintain their stuff deeper into a game, (throws) enough strikes that they can work efficiently to get deep into the game and we see all of those with Winck,” Breslow said. “Now that we’ve started to build up the pitching infrastructure around our guys and have had a chance for Andrew Bailey and Justin Willard to get a look as well, they see some opportunities for optimization and it feels like it makes sense to give that some runway and build him out with an eye on starting.”
As a starter in 2022, Winckowski was 5-7 with a 5.75 ERA in 14 games. He was called up after the club dealt with a plethora of injuries to its rotation. Last season, Winckowski pitched in 60 games out of the bullpen and posted a 2.88 ERA. He was one of Cora’s most trusted high-leverage relievers, being utilized in the later innings or pitching in a bulk innings role.
Despite not winning a job in the rotation, Cora said the organization still thinks Winckowski has the stuff to be a starter, but right now, the club is looking at other options.
“Everybody here sees a starter,” said Cora. “But with where we are at right now, if everything goes accordingly — I’m not saying he’ll be on the team or not; that’s how it works in this business. But where we’re at right now, this is the best way to attack the season. The repertoire is real. There’s three different fastballs that you have to cover and the changeup at 92-93 mph is a different pitch.
“I think overall, he’s shown that he can do it. He’s a big strong kid. His goal is to be a starter in the big leagues at this level. But as of now, this is the way we’re going to do it.”
With Winckowski sliding back into the bullpen, Cooper Criswell, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock will continue to battle for the final spots in the rotation.
