Whitlock's role in the rotation remains safe for now with Rich Hill heading to the COVID-19 injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

After opening the year by allowing one run on four hits in 9.2 innings of relief work, Whitlock stepped into the rotation for a trio of successful starts. He's only averaged four innings across those starts, though he reached a season-high five in his latest outing Wednesday against the Angels. Whitlock's 1.25 ERA and 29:4 K:BB on the year will make it tough for Boston to send him back to the bullpen, though workload concerns could still cause such a move at some point given that he worked exclusively in relief last season.