Red Sox hint at exciting Walker Buehler replacement with last-minute pitching shuffle

Ever since the Boston Red Sox moved Walker Buehler to the bullpen on Friday, the question of who would start on the mound for them in Monday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. On Sunday, an under-the-radar pitching swap at Triple-A Worcester may have given us an answer.

Despite being listed as the pitching probable for Sunday's game against Jacksonville all week, left-hander Kyle Harrison was replaced at the last minute with Chris Murphy. Could this mean that Harrison is on his way to join the Red Sox in Baltimore? It's a strong possibility, as Harrison had already been among the prime candidates to start Monday against the Orioles.

The other, Richard Fitts, is currently on Boston's roster and was available to pitch out of the bullpen Saturday. It initially appeared that Fitts might have the inside track to start Monday, as he has not been needed out of the bullpen since being recalled earlier in the week, but Harrison getting yanked from his scheduled start in favor of Murphy feels like a precursor to another roster move at some point in the next 24 hours.

Red Sox hint at exciting Walker Buehler replacement with last-minute pitching shuffle

Harrison, who has yet to make his Red Sox debut, is best known to Boston fans as one of the key pieces the team got back from the San Francisco Giants in the Rafael Devers trade just over two months ago. The full return package for Boston included Harrison, reliever Jordan Hicks and prospects Jose Bello and James Tibbs III.

Following the trade, Harrison was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to continue refining his repertoire and adjust to the Red Sox organization’s development plan. In 46 1/3 innings with Worcester, he has pitched to a 3.69 ERA and 1.61 WHIP while striking out 46 and walking 25.

The Red Sox have been actively revamping Harrison’s pitch mix in Worcester, adding a cutter and sinker to his existing four-seamer, slurve and changeup. The coaching staff calls his four-seam fastball “unique” and anticipate it to remain his primary pitch.

Early feedback on Harrison's new pitches has been promising. Regardless of whether he makes Monday's start, it's a good bet that we could see Harrison pitching for the Red Sox sooner rather than later.

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