Walker Buehler's season with the Boston Red Sox hasn't gone the way either party hoped it would. The righty's first full season back from Tommy John surgery has been plagued by trials and tribulations, especially in recent weeks.
Buehler has posted a 9.29 ERA in his last seven appearances. He's surrendered 42 hits, 32 runs and 21 walks over 31 innings. His full-season ERA is up to 6.45, by far the worst of his career, and Buehler is feeling the pressure.
“I think I’m fighting for my spot in the game, honestly. I think at some point, throwing the way that I’ve thrown, there’s not a lot of places for seven ERA starting pitchers in the big leagues,” Buehler said after reporters asked him if he's concerned about maintaining his spot in Boston's rotation.
"I don't know what the next step is and obviously I want to take the ball every fifth day and keep going and keep fighting, but at the end of the day, we have depth and talent in this organization and there are realities in this game."
Buehler was formerly one of the best young pitchers in the game during the early years of his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He posted a 2.82 ERA from 2018-21, and he earned Rookie of the Year votes, two All-Star nods and two top 10 finishes in the NL Cy Young race over those years.
Red Sox's Walker Buehler sounds defeated after latest rough outing, loss to Blue Jays
Buehler hasn't been the same pitcher since his elbow started nagging him, and it often takes months to years for pitchers who undergo Tommy John surgery to find their old selves again. The 30-year-old told reporters after his June 29 loss to the Blue Jays that he would keep trying to get his stuff back, but that he's unsure how long it will take.
For now, the Red Sox will have to ride with him. Boston is expecting pitching reinforcements back soon, but its rotation options are thin at the moment — Kutter Crawford recently underwent season-ending wrist surgery, Hunter Dobbins is on the IL with an elbow strain, Patrick Sandoval doesn't seem close to a return to action, and Tanner Houck is on a rehab assignment with the WooSox, but he hasn't looked much better than Buehler when healthy this year. The Red Sox also have Kyle Harrison, one of the returns from the Rafael Devers trade, warming up in Triple-A to make his Boston debut.
Some insiders and experts have floated Buehler as a potential trade candidate ahead of the impending trade deadline, and such possibilities look less likely with every poor start. If he can turn his season around, the Red Sox may hold onto him for their potential playoff run, but that would also require Boston's offense to kick it up a notch or two.
If Buehler continues to struggle, it may be in the team's best interest to move him to the bullpen or designate him for assignment. If Dobbins, Harrison and Richard Fitts can routinely post better starts than the veteran, they should be given those opportunities, especially if Boston still has playoff hopes.