Red Sox move struggling starter to bullpen

The Boston Red Sox are moving right-hander Nick Pivetta into a multi-inning relief role, manager Alex Cora informed reporters after Wednesday’s win over the Mariners (relayed by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). It will be his first bullpen work since Boston acquired him from the Phillies during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Pivetta has been a durable -- but somewhat frustrating -- starter over his two and a half seasons in Boston. He topped 30 starts and 150 innings in both 2021 and 2022 and led the team with 179 2/3 frames last year. He has flashed decent swing-and-miss stuff, too, but been prone to a few too many walks and plenty of hard contact. His ERA sat just north of 4.50 in both of the above seasons.

It has been more of the same for the 30-year-old early this year. Pivetta has taken all eight turns through the rotation and logged 40 innings of 6.30 ERA ball. While his 23 percent strikeout rate and 10.7 percent swinging strike percentage are respectable, he has issued free passes at an elevated 10.4 percent clip. Pivetta has surrendered nine home runs and given up hard contact on a massive 51.7 percent of batted balls. In light of that contact quality, he has perhaps been fortunate to have surrendered “only” a .309 batting average on balls in play.

Pivetta has not traditionally dealt with notable platoon splits during his career. Left-handed hitters have put together a .268/.361/.592 batting line in 84 trips to the plate this season, though. The Red Sox aren’t planning to use him in a strict matchup capacity, although the relief role could afford Cora a little more flexibility in deploying the now-former starter against more right-handed batters.

The organization obviously hopes Pivetta’s high-octane arsenal can translate more effectively in shorter bursts. He has averaged 93.8 MPH on his fastball out of the rotation. It would not be a surprise if that ticked up a bit in briefer stints that allow Pivetta to max out his effort. It’s not hard to envision him finding success in a relief capacity.

Pivetta saw some bullpen work with the Phillies four years ago, but has otherwise worked primarily as a starter, opening 144 of his 166 MLB outings. He’s spoken on a few occasions this season of his desire to stick in the rotation. Boston has a number of starting pitching options, though, and Pivetta’s struggles over the past month-and-a-half apparently leave him the odd man out. Pivetta told reporters on Wednesday evening that he understands the club’s decision (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).

Boston recently activated James Paxton from the injured list, with the veteran southpaw joining Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and (temporarily) Pivetta in the starting staff. Garrett Whitlock is currently on the 15-day IL, but could return by the end of next week. Cora has already announced that the team will keep Whitlock in the rotation, while Sale is a lock for the starting staff. The Red Sox have been reluctant to put Paxton in an unfamiliar relief role in light of his injury history. Kluber has not pitched well this year, but he is a career-long starter who signed a $10M free agent contract over the offseason. It seemed unlikely Boston would kick him into the bullpen or move on entirely.

That appeared to leave Houck, Bello and Pivetta jockeying for rotation spots. All three carried a respective ERA north of 5.00. Bello and Houck have comparable strikeout rates to Pivetta, with significantly higher ground-ball rates. They have been more consistent strike throwers and will each of that pair keep their rotation spots for the time being, though Whitlock’s eventual reinstatement could lead to another change.

Pivetta has surpassed five years of Major League service and was out of minor league options, regardless. The Red Sox cannot send him to the minors without his approval, leaving a bullpen transfer or DFA as the only options to bump him from the rotation. It’s possible Pivetta gets another look as a starter down the line if future injuries necessitate. He’s making $5.35M this season and will be eligible for arbitration once more next winter.