Red Sox
Buehler started 22 games and accrued a 5.40 ERA in Boston’s starting rotation this season.
The Red Sox are shuffling their starting rotation with 34 regular-season games remaining.
Boston is removing Walker Buehler from the rotation and moving him to the bullpen, manager Alex Cora announced Friday.
Buehler, who has started 22 games for the Red Sox this season, was scheduled to start against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. The new starter for that game has yet to be determined, Cora said.
Cora and the club aren’t sure exactly what Buehler’s relief role will look like.
Boston’s skipper also noted that because Buehler pitched on Tuesday against the Orioles, he won’t be available out of the bullpen for Friday’s game versus the New York Yankees.
“He’s gonna go to the bullpen,” Cora told reporters pregame in the Bronx Friday. “I talked to him last night. [Chief baseball officer Craig] Bres[low] did, too. He’s in a new role. We’ll figure out how it goes. Maybe one inning, multiple innings. Whatever it is, we don’t know yet. He’s not in the bullpen today because he just pitched … Whenever he’s ready, he’ll be there and I know he’s gonna help us out.”
Buehler, 31, has struggled mightily as a member of the Red Sox in 2025. The right-hander owns a 5.40 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 7-7 record through 110 innings pitched.
Walks have consistently been an issue for Buehler. On average, he’s walking 4.4 batters per nine innings. In Buehler’s last two outings, he walked eight batters, bringing his total on the year to 54.
Home runs have been a problem for him, too. Buehler has allowed 21, which comes out to a 1.7 per nine innings average.
Cora was asked how the hurler handled receiving news of his new role.
“Professional,” Cora said of Buehler. “He’s been very frustrated with the way he has pitched. I still believe in him. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish. Hopefully he’ll reset, go out there, pound the strike zone, simplify the attack, and help us win ballgames. He was great.”
Buehler also spoke with the media before Friday’s game and responded to the news.
“The organization and to a lesser extent myself think it’s probably the right thing for our group and gives me an opportunity to reset in some way,” Buehler said (via The Boston Globe‘s Tim Healey). “In terms of this year’s team, I think it’s the right thing to do. … I’ll try to embrace it for the next couple of months.”
Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05 million contract with Boston in December 2024. The deal includes a $25 million mutual option for 2026 with a $3 million buyout. Additionally, Buehler earned a $500,000 bonus each for reaching 20 and 22 starts. He would have earned another $500,000 each for reaching 24, 26, and 28 starts.
As far as Buehler’s replacement goes, Richard Fitts was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, but MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported on Wednesday that Fitts will also be pitching out of the bullpen. Fitts has started 10 games for Boston and six for Worcester this year and would otherwise likely have been a candidate to replace Buehler.
Perhaps the Red Sox will promote Kyle Harrison or Payton Tolle from Triple-A instead. Breslow didn’t rule out Tolle making his MLB debut down the stretch if the organization deems him ready.
“By all accounts, he is a kid that kind of elevates his game,” Breslow said of Tolle to The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier. “We don’t anticipate that the stage is too big for him. So, if we think he’s ready, we wouldn’t hesitate to give it a shot.”
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