Whitlock’s return from elbow surgery has gone very smoothly, and he’s all set to open the season in the Red Sox pen, probably as one of their key guys. It wouldn’t be stunning to see him wind up closing at some point.

The 28-year-old hurler is recovering from an internal brace procedure and has yet to face live hitters this spring. He’s ahead of schedule though and has already thrown multiple bullpen sessions where he looked sharp. While the window is narrowing for him to ramp up fully before the season begins, the Red Sox seem confident that he’ll be ready to go.

It’s no surprise, but it’s nice that the pitcher is confirming it, since the brass wasn’t yet willing to. Whitlock is coming off internal brace surgery, but he expects to be ready for Opening Day or at least soon afterwards. He unfortunately struggled to stay healthy as a starter, but he has a 2.65 ERA with a 150/29 K/BB in 132 2/3 career innings as a reliever. He might be a fallback in the closer’s role if Liam Hendriks struggles.

It’s an encouraging update after Whitlock underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow back in May. The influx of new arrivals to the Red Sox’ starting rotation mix, most notably Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, means that he’ll likely shift back to the bullpen. It’s a hit to his immediate fantasy outlook, but he was outstanding in a high-leverage role a couple years ago when he first got to Boston.