The Red Sox starting rotation is starting to become clearer.
On Sunday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander Josh Winckowski will be moved to the bullpen, leaving four candidates for the last three rotation spots.
Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta are in, and Kutter Crawford is likely to get the third spot, leaving Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Cooper Criswell as the remaining contenders for the final week of camp.
After starting in 2022, Winckowski moved to the bullpen last season and did well. The 25-year-old appeared in 60 games and had a 2.88 ERA over 84.1 innings, making him one of Boston’s best relievers.
Winckowski got a chance to be a starter again this spring, but he did not perform as well as the others. In four games, he had a higher ERA, opponent average, and fewer strikeouts than Houck, Whitlock, and Criswell. His last outing against Philadelphia was also not good, as he allowed six runs over 3.2 innings.
Now he will go back to the relief role that he did well in last season.
