Red Sox rotation gets a big boost with Michael Wacha’s return
The Red Sox are riding the wave of two big wins in a row and last night saw a collection of the bullpen and offense work like a well-oiled machine. Through the early part of the season, Michael Wacha has been one of the best starters in the rotation but some irritation on his left side has had him on the shelf since the beginning of the month. With the schedule being very favorable to Boston for the foreseeable future getting the righty back on the mound is perfect timing.
Going into the 2022 season, pitching was the biggest thing that we believed needed to be addressed. Both the starting rotation and bullpen clearly needed some help with Chaim Bloom making minor moves to handle both. He brought in Wacha with the open game plan that he could fight for a rotation spot and if it didn’t work, the bullpen would be his home. Well, once again Bloom is the most intelligent guy in the room as Wach has been beyond impressive.
Before going down to intercostal irritation in his left side he was Boston’s best starter. Through five starts, Wacha posted a 1.38 ERA, 0.923 WHIP, and a 1.73 W/BB mix through 26 innings of work. Obviously, the start to the season is better than anything either the Red Sox or fans could’ve ever expected and hopefully, the time off won’t slow that train down. With Rich Hill and Nathan Eovaldi, both scuffling in their most recent starts getting someone as hot as Wacha back is ideal.
This is the first “reinforcement” that the Red Sox have coming this summer. Next will be Chris Sale and eventually James Paxton. We have no idea what the latter two will be able to do on the mound in 2022 but we at least have some insight into what Wacha is capable of. Now that the offense is heating up making sure the pitching staff continues to hold up their end of the bargain is tantamount to saving this season.
In order to make room for Wacha on the 26-man roster, the Red Sox optioned Ryan Brasier to Worcester, per Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo. The reliever has been the definition of unreliable and it felt like a matter of time before he would be sent down to try and figure things out. As much as the bullpen needs depth, I’d much rather have Wacha than Brasier at the moment. Having the starter back in the rotation could also allow Alex Cora to move Garrett Whitlock back to the bullpen, despite the team’s reluctance to do so.
Things are looking up for the Red Sox at the moment and getting Wacha back is another step in the right direction. I can guarantee some out there will say I’m being too positive and hyping Wacha up too much, but they can get over it. He’s been incredible for Boston to start the season and he absolutely adds more to this team than he subtracts. Things are rolling right now for the team, and as a fan, I’m excited, sorry.
Only time will tell if the righty turns out to be something more than an early-season aberration or the real deal. His career numbers are all over the place so it’s tough to truly put your finger on what he may actually be. For now, I’ll take what we know he’s been for us in 2022 and be happy with it. At the end of the day, he’s a low-risk/potentially high-reward player and if things continue down this road then Chaim Bloom can pat himself on the back once again.