Red Sox have solid starting rotation depth to cover for injuries

Steven Wright

As I mentioned above, Wright is probably still the 6th man in this rotation. Wright was acquired all the way back in 2012 in a trade that sent old friend Lars Anderson to Cleveland. Wright started a mere five games last year, most of which went poorly for the knuckleballer, before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in May.

All told, Wright threw 24 innings and posted an ERA over eight. However, it is worth noting that Wright only pitched in April last season; April has the lowest average humidity of any month in the season and knuckleballs move better in humid weather. Perhaps Wright would be more effective through the dog days of summer.

It’s also important to remember that Wright was an All-Star just a year earlier. In 2016, Wright posted a 3.33 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 156.2 innings. Most pundits would probably agree that Wright pitched over his head in 2016, as is backed up by his peripherals; however knuckleballers are a weird bunch and peripherals may be less meaningful than in most pitcher evaluations.

Wright has his share of question marks and concerns, along with the baggage of a domestic abuse case, but he has a higher ceiling than most 6th starters around the league.