Red Sox Shift Struggling Starter Walker Buehler to Bullpen Role

The Boston Red Sox have removed right-hander Walker Buehler from the starting rotation and reassigned him to the bullpen, manager Alex Cora said Friday before the club’s game against the New York Yankees. Buehler, 31, has struggled in his first season with Boston, going 7–7 with a 5.40 ERA across 22 starts while surrendering a career-high 21 home runs and issuing 54 walks in 110 innings. The two-time All-Star signed a one-year, $21.05 million deal in December that carries a $25 million mutual option for 2026. Cora said the team will determine Buehler’s relief workload “one inning, multiple innings—whatever it is,” and has not named a replacement for the rotation slot that would have opened Monday in Baltimore. Buehler called the move “disappointing” yet agreed it offers a chance to reset, saying, “In terms of this year’s team, I think it’s the right thing to do.”