Josh Winckowski’s time as a Major League starter was bumpy.
As a reliever? That’s been a different story.
The 24-year-old righty, acquired from the Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade, came up through the minors as a starter. He made 14 starts for the Red Sox in 2022, going 5-7 with a 5.75 ERA across 67 ⅓ innings.
But the Red Sox opted to use him as reliever this season, and the early returns have been promising. He’s allowed just one run in six innings pitched across three games, giving up four hits while striking out six and holding opponents to a .174 average – good for a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.
Winckowski is stretched out a little too, allowing him to serve as a multi-inning bridge to Boston’s high-leverage relievers. He went season-high three innings in Tuesday’s loss to the Pirates.
His performance so far has gotten the attention of Alex Cora and Co.
“The one that is intriguing us a lot is Winckowski,” Cora said in his weekly appearance on “Gresh & Fauria.” “I think he did an amazing job (against the Pirates), he did a good job earlier against Baltimore. His stuff is ticking up, he’s throwing 96, 97. This is a kid that last year he was caught up on the strikeouts, the swing and misses, and he’s not doing that out of the bullpen. So he’s a good one, we really like him."
Boston’s biggest weakness early on has been starting pitching. Having a middle reliever who can eat innings and keep the Red Sox in the game the way Winckowski has is an enormous asset, and it seems he’s finding a groove in the role.
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