Red Sox News & Links: Justin Slaten returns, hopes to steady bullpen
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 02: Justin Slaten #63 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in game three of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images With all of the consternation about Greg Weissert’s performance lately, it’s worth remembering that he’s not supposed to be a high-leverage reliever. But the mercurial nature of bullpens means that the Red Sox frequently have no choice but to use pitchers who don’t inspire the utmost confidence.
But at least the Sox can now knock Weissert down a spot in the pecking order, because Justin Slaten is officially back. “It felt like the longest month of my life,” he said of his recovery form an oblique strain. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe) Had yesterday’s game not been rained out and had Slaten pitched, he would’ve found himself throwing to a surprising catcher: Mickey Gasper, who was penciled into the starting lineup despite the fact that there were no injuries to either Carlos Narvaez or Connor Wong.
Here’s Chad Tracy on why he did it: Pedro Martinez also found himself throwing to a surprising catcher at Fenway recently. Back in town to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, Pedro reflected on the strange fact that the recently fired Jason Varitek wasn’t behind the plate to receive it. “To be honest, I’m not gonna go into details without knowing why because I haven’t really been inside the offices.
I’m pretty sure they’re gonna let me know. There’s gotta be a reason because Tek means so much to this city just like every one of us. ” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic) Speaking of former Red Sox catchers, David Ross was also recently back in town, and he spoke about his time in Boston.
(Peter Abraham, Boston Globe) Pedro certainly sounds dismayed about Varitek’s parting, but he hasn’t given up on the 2026 Red Sox. Nor have many of the players. “I think we’ve been playing pretty good baseball lately,” said Ceddanne Rafaela.