Boston manager Alex Cora confirmed Whitlock (hip) will pitch out of the bullpen when he's activated off the injured list, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cora said earlier that the club was considering having Whitlock -- who has been in the starting rotation since April 23 -- move to the bullpen and confirmed that decision Saturday. The manager added that Whitlock will be used much as he was in 2021, when the right-hander pitched in a multi-inning relief role in a variety of situations. Whitlock threw a bullpen session Saturday and could face batters this coming week and begin a rehabilitation assignment. The rehab should be shorter now that Whitlock does not need to be built up to a starter's workload. Cora added that Rich Hill's knee injury, which landed him on the injured list, will not change the team's plans for Whitlock. Boston will use a combination of Josh Winckowski, Connor Seabold and Kutter Crawford to plug any rotation holes, plus the Red Sox hope to get Nathan Eovaldi (hip) and Chris Sale (rib) back in the next week or two. The organization still views Whitlock as a starter long term, but the plan is to use him in the bullpen for the remainder of 2022.