If there was one lesson to glean from the Boston Red Sox’s weekend series against the Miami Marlins, it’s that this bullpen is still far from a finished product.
That’s not what you want to hear almost three weeks after the trade deadline, but it’s the truth. The Red Sox’s de facto eighth man, Isaiah Campbell, pitched so poorly in mop-up duty on Saturday that he forced closer Aroldis Chapman into the game. Then, with Chapman unavailable on Sunday, middle relievers Greg Weissert and Steven Matz imploded in the ninth inning, turning a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 loss.
Campbell would have been sent back to Triple-A long ago if Boston had a suitable right-hander to take his place. But the bullpen is already too lefty-heavy to bring up a deserving southpaw like Brennan Bernardino or Chris Murphy.
Fortunately, it appears Boston is close to getting some much-needed reinforcements, in the form of the bullpen arm they’ve missed the most for the last two months.
Right-hander Justin Slaten, who last pitched on May 28 due to a lingering shoulder injury, is slated to begin a rehab assignment with the Worcester Red Sox on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.
“Justin Slaten was scheduled for live BP (on Monday) but the team decided to just send him on a rehab assignment (Tuesday) in Worcester,” McCaffrey wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“He’ll need at least a few outings because he’s been out since June 1. (Manager Alex) Cora said they don’t want to rush him but feel this is the best next step.”
Slaten put up a 3.47 ERA in his first 23 1/3 innings this season, striking out only 16 batters, but holding opposing hitters to a .171 batting average. He turned a corner in his lengthy recovery earlier this month, when he told MassLive that doctors had discovered a bone in his neck was pressing against the nerves in his shoulder.
It would be monumental for the Red Sox to get Slaten back within a couple weeks; with any luck, they’d be able to clear Campbell off the active roster for the rest of the season. All the big righty can do is take care of business in Worcester and await further guidance.
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