The Boston Red Sox brought back reliever Justin Slaten from the injured list on August 28, after he’d been sidelined with a shoulder issue since early June. In his absence, the team shuffled through various bullpen options in the middle innings. While Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman performed well, the team struggled with consistency during that part of games.
Slaten’s initial outings after returning weren’t encouraging—he gave up seven earned runs over 5 1/3 innings in his first six appearances. Despite showing solid control with only two walks in 29 batters faced, he gave up seven hits and two home runs.
However, on Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave Slaten the ball with a narrow one-run lead in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. Slaten responded with a dominant 12-pitch inning, generating five swings and misses. His fastball stayed high in the strike zone while his cutter worked down and just below it. Boston went on to secure an 11–7 win.
Notably, Slaten’s fastball velocity was up significantly—averaging 96.7 mph, compared to 95.1 mph in his first outing back. He had just one day of rest but still looked sharp, following a strong showing in a back-to-back outing earlier in the week.
Looking ahead, command will be key for Slaten. If he can consistently locate his pitches, his arsenal is strong enough to retire elite hitters. With just eight games left in the regular season, Cora is likely to lean heavily on his bullpen, giving Slaten multiple opportunities to contribute.
If Slaten can maintain this level of performance, he could become a vital bridge to Whitlock and Chapman in the late innings. With him locking down the seventh, Boston’s bullpen could effectively reduce games to six innings, giving them a big edge down the stretch.
