Even considering his injury history, it was hard to fault the Boston Red Sox for gambling on two-time All-Star and former Los Angeles Dodgers standout Walker Buehler this past offseason.
There was absolutely a risk in the one-year, $21 million deal, though there haven’t exactly been many rewards. Buehler posted another mediocre start on Tuesday night, walking four and allowing two earned runs in a 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles. He threw only 41 of his 75 pitches for strikes before Alex Cora turned to veteran reliever Justin Wilson.
"It's [expletive] embarrassing," Buehler said. "I think the last time I walked this many in a season I threw 207 innings. So yeah, it just sucks."
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Walker Buehler's season with the Red Sox has taken a turn for the worse
It’s been a frustrating year for Buehler, who owns a 5.40 ERA and an 82-54 K-BB ratio across 110 innings. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Buehler’s continued struggles are coming at the worst possible time. Boston has lost three straight and dropped seven of 10, putting them only 2.5 games ahead of the surging Kansas City Royals for the AL’s third and final Wild Card seed.
If that wasn’t bad enough for Buehler, he’s in jeopardy of losing his rotation spot. Former San Francisco Giants top prospect Kyle Harrison continues impressing at Triple-A Worcester and is on track to join the big-league roster ahead of the Sept. 1 roster expansion.
What should the Red Sox do with Walker Buehler?
Assuming that the Red Sox don’t collapse and miss the playoffs, we feel comfortable assuming that All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet will lead the starting rotation. Veteran righty Lucas Giolito, who owns a 3.63 ERA in 19 starts, figures to earn a postseason start. As for the third starting pitcher, we’re guessing Cora will give that opportunity to Bryan Bello and his 3.23 ERA.
What does that mean for Buehler? Although Buehler memorably closed out Game 5 of the World Series last fall, he hasn’t been a regular reliever since his rookie season in 2017. Even then, Buehler only pitched just over nine innings and allowed eight earned runs across eight games.
To put things bluntly: the Red Sox didn’t sign Buehler to be a reliever, especially not amid a heated playoff push. Buehler landed in Boston because both sides believed he’d regain some semblance of his old form, even if he’d never resemble the 2021 NL Cy Young finalist.
However, it’s looking increasingly like Buehler’s best days are long behind him. The 31-year-old has an ERA near 5.50 and a negative bWAR dating back to the start of last season. Alex Cora cannot realistically stick with Buehler down the stretch, not when so many teams are staying alive in the AL Wild Card race.
Barring any changes, Buehler’s next start will likely come against the Orioles next week — unless, of course, the Red Sox pivot to Harrison and send Buehler to the bullpen.