Aroldis Chapman gave Red Sox Nation a scare in the series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday. The lefty was very erratic when he entered the game in the eighth inning, and his velocity was down. After walking the first two batters, then inducing a flyout of Shohei Ohtani (without throwing him a heater), Alex Cora and a trainer came to the mound. After speaking for a few moments, they pulled Chapman from the game.
Reports from fans after the game indicated that Chapman was throwing up in the bullpen during his warm-ups, but then beat reports emerged that he left the game with back spasms and is being considered day-to-day. The usually healthy closer certainly frightened fans and had many Red Sox fans thinking, "Who's going to fill in?" if his injury worsens.
2 internal options who could replace Aroldis Chapman
If Craig Breslow doesn't decide to add backend bullpen depth before the deadline, two relievers stick out as the best options for the ninth. First is Jordan Hicks. The 28-year-old reliever came back in the Rafael Devers trade and has some previous closing experience. He has 35 career saves (two this season with Boston) and 79 career appearances in the ninth inning across his seven-year big league career. Cora has used him in late-inning situations on a few occasions so far, and with two years left on his contract after 2025, this could be his audition for the role if Chapman ends up severely injured or leaves this offseason.
The other internal option is Garrett Whitlock. The righty has finally found a permanent home in the bullpen this season after being yo-yoed back and forth from the starting rotation for a few seasons. After trying him as a two-inning reliever at the beginning of the season, the Sox scrapped that and now use him in one-inning spurts, where he's been excellent. Since June 3, Whitlock has only allowed runs in two of 19 outings, all but three of those being one inning or less. Though he has only pitched in the ninth six times this season, he does have 27 games in what Baseball Reference considers "high leverage." Whitlock is under contract through 2028 and could also be looking to audition for a role at the back end of the bullpen for next season.
2 external options who could replace Aroldis Chapman
While this seems less likely now with him being day-to-day, there is still a possibility the Sox look to add another back-end arm. David Bednar of the Pirates is a very intriguing player. The righty struggled to start the season and was sent down to the minors. Since he came back at the end of April, he's been very good. He split time in the closer role with Chapman last season in Pittsburgh and could be a great eighth-inning option, and could fill in on Chapman's rest days. Bednar also has another year of control, meaning he could slide into the closer role for next season.
If Breslow truly wanted to go big, he could look to acquire Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals. The righty led MLB in saves last season, and while he hasn't quite repeated last season's success, he is still an elite closer. The two could easily split time between both the eighth and ninth, depending on matchups, as Cora has shown he just wants his best pitchers against the opponent's best hitters. Helsley will be a free agent at the end of the season, making this the most unlikely of them all unless Chapman's injury is worse than original reports say.