BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 05: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with his teammates after hitting a two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Fenway Park on June 05, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Rafael Devers Was Confused By This Red Sox Roster Move.
‘He’s one of the best pitchers we have’
Josh Winckowski proved his worth to the Red Sox in back-to-back outings after rejoining Boston.
Winckowski was on mop-up duty last Tuesday against the Blue Jays after Brayan Bello logged the shortest outing of his career to date. The right-hander pitched the final six innings against Toronto and only allowed two runs, but perhaps more importantly, he prevented extra work for the bullpen.
The 26-year-old was then called on to start Sunday after Boston moved Bello’s next start to Wednesday. Winckowski was sharp once again, logging five shutout innings against the San Diego Padres in a 4-1 Red Sox win at Fenway Park.
Rafael Devers has seen quite a bit of Winckowski ever since the 2016 draft pick broke into the big leagues in 2022. Boston’s star slugger admittedly wasn’t sure why Winckowski spent the majority of May and June in Triple-A.
“He’s one of the best pitchers we have,” Devers told reporters Sunday, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I don’t know why he was in Triple-A. But I feel like he’s a very good pitcher and I’m hoping he keeps doing what he did today and stays with us the rest of the year.”
It remains to be seen what the rest of the season holds for Winckowski, who lowered his ERA to 2.80 on Sunday. But in the short term, he will be back on the bump Saturday when Boston plays the middle game of its weekend series against New York at Yankee Stadium.
