Following his latest disappointing outing on Sunday afternoon, Walker Buehler acknowledged that his days in Boston could be numbered if he doesn’t turn things around soon.
But as Alex Cora tells it, Buehler will get at least one more chance.
The Red Sox manager said Buehler will make his next start, which is currently lined up for Saturday in Washington, D.C.
“He’s scheduled to make his next one,” Cora said pregame on Monday. “He’s healthy, eager to work, and like he said yesterday he feels like he’s getting close to finding it.”
A two-time All-Star who played an integral role in leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to each of their last two World Series championships, Buehler has struggled to regain his old form since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. He signed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $21.05 million contract in hopes of rebuilding his value and earning a lucrative long-term extension in free agency this winter, but so far the results haven’t been there.
Following Sunday’s outing in which he allowed four runs over four innings in an eventual 5-3 loss to Toronto, Buehler’s ERA on the season stands at 6.45. He’s thrown four innings or fewer in four of his last five starts, and over his last eight outings since coming off the IL he’s posted an 8.64 ERA.
Bad as the outcomes have been, Cora believes he is making progress, specifically pointing out Buehler’s scoreless second and third innings in his recent start in Anaheim, as well as the 10 straight batters he retired in the middle of Sunday’s outing.
“We’ve seen glimpses the last two starts,” Cora said. “His stuff is still good, we just have to finish, and with two strikes we cannot walk guys, especially the eighth and ninth hitters.”
Cora said he and Buehler spoke after the Sunday’s game and that he’s feeling good physically. Now the two sides will continue to work through his issues in hopes of helping Buehler get back to being the standout arm he’s been in the past.
“We’re going to keep working, we’re not going to give up,” Cora said. “This guy means a lot to us, we made a huge commitment in the offseason, he bet on himself and right now it doesn’t look like it’s happening, but I truly believe it will happen.”
