Another Red Sox pitcher has an arm ailment.
Brandon Walter, a left-hander who was supposed to start in Triple-A Worcester, has a left rotator cuff issue and has been sidelined, according to a source who spoke with MassLive on Wednesday. Walter will stay in Fort Myers for extended spring training rather than head north to start the season. The timing for his return to the mound is unknown; the Red Sox are still assessing the severity of the injury.
Walter, 27, was one of the first cuts in spring training when he was reassigned to minor league camp on March 6. The Delaware native, who is on the 40-man roster, was anticipated to be one of Boston’s top depth rotation options heading into the season. Behind starters Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck, the Red Sox are short on extended arms. Josh Winckowski (in the major league bullpen) and Cooper Criswell (in the Triple-A rotation) appeared to be the top two internal options, so the Red Sox signed veteran Chase Anderson to a major league contract over the weekend and traded for Japanese rookie Naoyuki Uwasawa on Wednesday.
Walter entered 2023 as one of the organization’s best pitching prospects, but he struggled in Triple-A and, in a smaller sample size, the major leagues. The southpaw has a 6.26 ERA and 1.696 WHIP in 23 bullpen innings in the majors, and after dominating Double-A in 2022, a 4.60 ERA and 8.4 K/9 rate in 94 innings for the White Sox. According to Chris Smith of MassLive, Walter was not one of the organization’s top 25 prospects entering the year. SoxProspects ranks the lefty 33rd in the system.
Walter is among five pitchers on Boston’s 40-man roster who will begin the season on the disabled list. He’ll join Lucas Giolito (out for the season), Chris Murphy (likely out for the season), and Liam Hendriks (perhaps returning in the second half), all of whom have had or are slated to have major elbow operations, as well as Bryan Mata (hamstring strain).
