Outlook Garrett Whitlock
Garrett Whitlock Returns From Knee Injury to Stabilize Struggling Red Sox Bullpen
Garrett Whitlock has officially returned from the 15-day injured list after recovering from left knee inflammation, making his return on June 9th with a scoreless inning against Tampa Bay. His return provides a crucial reinforcement for a last-place Red Sox squad (27-39) that is currently riding a four-game losing streak and navigating a severely depleted roster. He immediately steps back into a prominent late-inning role to bolster Boston's high-leverage options.
Prior to his injury, Whitlock was highly effective with a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and an impressive 11.58 K/9 over 20.2 innings. Our models project him to maintain a stellar 3.36 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 67.0 total innings this season, validating that his strong underlying metrics are no fluke. While he does not have any saves on his ledger this season, his elite strikeout ability and ratio-stabilizing presence provide reliable depth.
For the remainder of the week, the Red Sox host the Rangers for a three-game weekend series starting June 12th. Because Whitlock is just returning to action and does not currently have a path to saves with Aroldis Chapman closing, his weekly fantasy upside is limited. Managers in standard leagues should keep him on the bench for now, making him a tentative Sit this week while his usage patterns solidify.
Updated 3 days ago
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Outlook Anthony Bender
Anthony Bender is thriving in a high-leverage role, providing elite ratios and valuable holds.
Bender has been spectacular recently, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA and a tiny 0.43 WHIP over his last seven days while picking up a win and two saves. The fourth-place Marlins are riding a four-game win streak, and with key setup man Andrew Nardi sidelined on the 60-day injured list, Bender has fully established himself as the primary high-leverage setup option in Miami's bullpen.
While our season projection expected a 3.98 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, Bender is completely rewriting his 2026 outlook with a stellar 1.67 ERA and a microscopic 0.37 WHIP over his last 30 days. Backed by a strong 11.67 K/9 rate and nearly flawless control, this run is no fluke, though some minor regression toward his career 3.41 ERA is to be expected over the summer.
Looking at the remaining games this week, Miami finishes a home series against Arizona before heading to Pittsburgh for three games, including a tough matchup against Paul Skenes. Tight games should keep Bender busy in late-inning situations, and our weekly model projects him to contribute key holds and healthy strikeouts. Verdict: Start.
Updated 3 days ago
