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The Red Sox havent approached right-hander about a contract extension this spring, Houck himself . The 28-year-old adds that hes open to such talks and would be happy to stay in Boston long-term I love it here but isnt concerning himself with the lack of extension talks at present. Houck reached arbitration for the first time this offseason and agreed on a $3.95MM salary to avoid a hearing. That contract came on the back of a breakout 2024 season wherein he pitched a career-high 178 2/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate, 55.9% grounder rate and 0.55 HR/9 over the life of 30 starts. After having floated between the bullpen in rotation in recent seasons, that career-best performance cemented Houcks spot in Bostons rotation. Injuries to , and only further locked Houck into a prominent rotation role. Hell likely take the ball in the Red Sox second game, behind Opening Day starter . The rest of the rotation looks a bit different than most wouldve expected heading into camp. Free-agent signee is locked into a spot, but theres been a competition for the final two outings thats Hassan Whiteside Jersey taken place as health troubles have arisen. earlier in the week that right-hander looked to have the fourth spot in the rotation locked up. The 25-year-old Fitts, acquired from the Yankees in the trade sending to the Bronx, has allowed only one run in 10 2/3 official spring innings. Hes punched out 13 of his 31 opponents (31.7%) against four walks (9.8%). Fitts posted a 4.17 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 116 2/3 Triple-A innings last year and also made a brief MLB debut, pitching 20 2/3 frames with a 1.74 ERA (in spite of a paltry 10.6% strikeout rate in the majors). More surprisingly, McCaffrey listed veteran as a strong candidate to earn the fifth spot. the same, writing that manager said the veteran lefty has caught our eyes with an impre sive spring of his own. Newcomb, a Ma sachusetts native, has held opponents to one run on five hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. Unlike many veterans around the league on non-roster invitations, Newcomb does not have an opt-out in his contract before the end of camp, Smith notes, so the Sox dont need to worry about losing him if they opt for someone already on the 40-man roster, such as righty . Similarly, veteran reliever tells WEEIs Rob Bradford that his minor league deal with Boston does not have an opt-out opportunity. The former AL Rookie of the Year signed a two-year minor league deal with the Sox in the 2023-24 offseason as he rehabbed from a UCL revision performed in Oct. 2023. Fulmer didnt pitch last year while rehabbing that procedure, but the 32-year-old has been outstanding this spring. Hes to sed 9 1/3 innings and held opponents to one run on nine hits and three walks with nine strikeouts. The fact that he cant opt out is a bit of a strike against his Opening Day chances, particularly if the Sox want to carry a long reliever to support their diminished rotation, but Fulmer has put himself in a nice position to either break camp with the team or get an early-season look. At the other end of the bullpen, Bostons ninth-inning picture has been a question for much of the spring. The hope was surely that would look closer to vintage form and claim that role as he enters the second season of a two-year contract, but its lefty whos emerged as the favorite for ninth-inning work, . Chapman has impre sed the Sox with the quality of his raw stuff and has set down 10 of his 23 spring opponents on strikes. Hendriks has been tagged for six runs in five spring frames. Righty also appears to be ahead of Hendriks on the closer depth chart at least for the time being. Certainly, thats subject to change as the season wears on. Changes in the ninth inning are common, particularly when the frontrunner is a 37-year-old with persistent command i sues and a recent injury history of note. Hendriks, Slaten or someone else entirely could wind up handling the bulk of the ninth-inning workload for skipper Alex Cora, but it sounds like Chapman will get first crack, thereby giving him a chance to become just the 14th pitcher in MLB history to tally 350 saves. He currently ranks 16th all-time, sitting just six saves behind Hall of Famer . Willie Cauley-Stein Jersey
