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An Instagram post shared on Friday by Jordan Whitlock, wife of Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock, featured a beach snapshot of the reliever with the caption #thriving. The image seemed to capture a relaxed offseason moment, except for one glaring detail: Whitlock was wearing a walking boot.
Later that day, Gabrielle Starr reported that the 30-year-old right-hander had been pitching on a fractured right tibia. According to Whitlock, who spoke with the Herald on Friday, the injury was not properly diagnosed until after Boston was eliminated from the postseason last week.
The revelation adds to a growing list of puzzling injury management decisions by the Red Sox medical staff this season. Earlier in the year, pitcher Garrett Crochet battled shoulder and lat soreness that persisted from late April through September. Meanwhile, infielder Roman Anthony's hand and wrist injury was initially described as a day-to-day wrist sprain, then a minimum IL stint, but it turned out to involve a ligament in his ring finger. That injury required more than a minimum stay, and Anthony's recovery stalled: he didn't swing a bat for a month, was sent to Fort Myers—possibly as a message—and ultimately missed nearly four months of major league action.
During Monday's press conference, when asked why Anthony did not receive additional imaging after early July, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pushed back, questioning the need for such tests if the player hadn't requested them.
While Whitlock deserves credit for pitching through his injury and posting a 0.00 ERA in September, the pattern suggests the Red Sox medical staff must adopt a more proactive approach to identifying injuries rather than simply trusting players' assurances that they are fine.
Key Analysis
The Whitlock incident is not an isolated case but part of a troubling trend. The team's reliance on player self-reporting and reluctance to pursue further diagnostic testing has led to prolonged absences and potentially worsened conditions. For a club with postseason aspirations, such oversights can be costly. A thorough review of medical protocols may be necessary to prevent future mishaps.
Originally reported by yahoo.