The Red Sox have set their rotation, and Corey Kluber is the odd man out.
With Garrett Whitlock set to return to the rotation this weekend, the Red Sox needed to bump another pitcher out to go with a five-man group. Sox manager Alex Cora revealed Wednesday in his weekly appearance on Greg & Fauria that it would be Kluber.
“We were waiting for Tanner (Houck) to see how he felt after his start," Cora said. "We’re going to make a change, actually Tanner is going to start on Sunday and Corey is going to go to the bullpen starting on Friday.
"We had that conversation with Corey, very professional, he understands. He signed here to be a starter, but right now he’s struggling and obviously the kids are throwing the ball well, there are a lot of off days coming up. So, we decided to make a change. We were just waiting for Tanner to see how he felt after his start.”
Kluber’s run with Boston has been a mess so far. He’s been hit hard by teams, resulting in a 2-6 record with a 6.26 ERA. The 37-year-old hasn't pitched in relief during the regular season since 2013, but he did appear out of the bullpen once last postseason with Tampa.
Nick Pivetta already had been moved to the bullpen. With Kluber joining him, the Red Sox rotation for the foreseeable future will be Chris Sale, James Paxton, Brayan Bello, Whitlock and Houck.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram