Red Sox Add Power Arm to League-Best Bullpen in Final Playoff Push
For the first time since 2021, the Boston Red Sox appear in prime position to get into the postseason as August nears its end.
The Red Sox entered Thursday at 14 games over .500, just four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, and leading the American League Wild Card race by a half-game over the New York Yankees.
On Thursday, the Red Sox appeared to have solidified their playoff chances by activating 27-year-old righty reliever Justin Slaten from the 60-day injured list.
With a fastball reaching 97 mph before he went on the IL with shoulder inflammation, Slaten "posted a 0.90 WHIP and 17 percent strikeout rate in 24 appearances to start the year, though wasn't as sharp as his rookie season when he had a 2.93 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 27 percent strikeout rate over 44 games," according to stats cited by The Athletic.
Boston stands five games clear of the Kansas City Royals, the team with the best record outside of the seven teams now in playoff positions. In fact, according to Fangraphs calculations, the Red Sox now have a 94.4 percent chance of qualifying for postseason baseball.
On the same date last year, Fangraphs gave Boston just a 24 percent chance. And in 2021 - the last year the Red Sox actually did get into the postseason - their chances were 89.3 percent, per Fangraphs, not as good as they are now.
Of course, the Red Sox are not there yet, and all of those odds are purely theoretical until they actually clinch a playoff spot, or are eliminated. In a push to solidify their chances, Boston on Thursday, with the activation of Slaten, took a step to make one of the strongest units on the team even better - the bullpen.
The Red Sox bullpen leads the AL with a collective 3.39 ERA, and ranks second in opponents' batting average at .224, barely behind the Houston Astros at .223.
The back end of the 'pen has been especially strong. Closer Aroldis Chapman is putting together a historic season, with a ninth-inning ERA of 0.87 in 46 appearances in that frame.
After Wednesday's three-batter save against the Baltimore Orioles, Chapman had faced 41 consecutive batters over 14 appearances without allowing a single base hit. The 37-year-old fireballer has not allowed a run since July 23 and only one since June 9.
But Chapman is not doing it alone. Setup men Greg Weissert and Garrett Whitlock have eighth-inning ERAs of 1.02 and 2.96 respectively, while lefty Justin Wilson, in the seventh inning or later, has posted a 2.77 number.
With the addition of Slaten, Boston's ability to stifle opponents in the late innings is likely to only get stronger.
"It's go-time now," manager Alex Cora told The Athletic. "Adding another high-leverage arm (in Slaten) is important. We're going to manage the game aggressively to win games, and we need everybody in the bullpen."
Slaten's addition should lighten the workload of Whitlock, Weissert, Wilson, and even Chapman - Slaten has saved five games in his two-year career - keeping the crucial bullpen arms fresh as the Red Sox push for the playoffs.
