The Boston Red Sox activated Justin Slaten from the injured list on August 28. He last pitched at the beginning of June before being sidelined by a shoulder injury.
While Slaten was out, the Red Sox tried several different relievers in middle relief. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman were excellent, but the middle innings were often shaky.
When Slaten first returned from the injured list, he struggled. In his first six appearances, he pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs. His control was there, only walking two of 29 hitters, but he was hit hard, allowing seven hits and two home runs.
On Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave Slaten the ball with the Red Sox leading by one in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. Slaten threw 12 pitches and induced five whiffs. His fastballs dotted the top of the strike zone, while his cutters lived just below the zone. Boston held on to win, 11-7.
His fastball velocity was up over a full mile per hour as well. It averaged 96.7 mph on Friday, compared to 95.1 mph in his first outing after his stint on the injured list. He was working on one day’s rest, but was effective on Wednesday in his second of back-to-back outings.
Going forward, it’s a matter of command for Slaten. If he can hit his spots, his stuff is good enough to get outs against even the best hitters. With only eight games remaining, Cora has little reason to rest the bullpen, meaning Slaten could be used several times down the stretch.
If Slaten continues to pitch at this level, the Red Sox will be difficult to beat in the late innings. Whitlock and Chapman have been lights out in the eighth and ninth. If Slaten can handle the seventh, the Red Sox could be able to shorten games to six innings.
