Josh Winckowski
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MLB Player Data
DateNewsComment
Jun 7 2025Winckowski (elbow) was recalled and transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski has spent most of the season with Triple-A Worcester, and he landed on the minor-league injured list in mid-May. He'll now be sidelined until at least after the All-Star break.
Apr 8 2025The Red Sox recalled Winckowski from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski will provide the bullpen with some length. The 26-year-old posted a 4.14 ERA and 60:26 K:BB over 76 innings covering six starts and 34 relief appearances with Boston last season.
Mar 19 2025The Red Sox optioned Winckowski to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski has had a rough spring, permitting 12 runs with a 4:6 K:BB over seven innings. He should still spend plenty of time in the majors in 2025, but for now he'll try to get straightened out at Worcester.
Sep 6 2024Winckowski threw a perfect inning and earned a save against the White Sox on Friday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski made his second appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 27. In those two outings, he's combined to toss four scoreless innings, dropping his season ERA to 4.10. Boston's ninth-inning job appears to be somewhat open at the moment with Kenley Jansen (lat) out. Winckowski now has four career saves, with the previous three coming during the 2023 campaign.
Aug 27 2024The Red Sox recalled Winckowski from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Luis Garcia (elbow) headed for the injured list, Winckowski will now return to Boston just one day after being optioned to Triple-A. The 26-year-old righty owns a 4.37 ERA and 1.42 WHIP through 59.2 frames in the majors this year, though those numbers are heavily inflated by a six-run, three-inning performance during his appearance against Arizona on Friday.
Aug 26 2024The Red Sox optioned Winckowski to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski tossed a scoreless inning Monday versus the Blue Jays in the resumption of a game that was previously suspended June 26, but he'll be send down to the minors ahead of Monday's regularly scheduled contest. Justin Slaten (elbow) was reinstated from the injured list to take Winckowski's spot on the active roster.
Aug 13 2024Winckowski (3-1) gave up an unearned run and retired all three batters he faced en route to picking up a win Monday in the Red Sox's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Rangers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was back in the bullpen two days after he was called upon to make a spot start in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Astros. He ended up serving as more of an opener for that contest, tossing 38 pitches over three innings of one-run ball before giving way to Brad Keller, who piggybacked him for four innings. Winckowski made quick work of the Rangers in his return to a relief role, inducing three groundouts to retire the side in the top of the 10th inning before the Red Sox broke through with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Given the light workload Monday, Winckowski could be a candidate to return to a starting role on three days' rest in Baltimore on Friday, when the Red Sox will require a replacement in the rotation for the injured James Paxton (calf). Cooper Criswell could end up serving as the longer-term replacement for Paxton, but he's currently on the COVID-19 injured list and may not be fully recovered from his illness to take the hill Friday.
Aug 9 2024Winckowski will start Saturday's game against the Astros, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Cooper Criswell (COVID-19) unavailable for what was supposed to be his start Saturday, Winckowski will now start for the first time since July 6. In nine appearances since moving to the bullpen, the 26-year-old right-hander has allowed five earned runs in 10.2 innings while striking out five batters and walking six.
Jul 9 2024Winckowski will be available out of the Red Sox bullpen beginning on Wednesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was excellent in a long relief outing on June 25 and a start June 30, but he stumbled in a start versus the Yankees over the weekend, allowing three runs over just 3.2 innings. He'll now move to a relief role, which will open up a spot in the rotation on Friday against the Athletics.
Jul 6 2024Winckowski did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 14-4 loss to the Yankees, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 3.2 innings. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski surrendered a leadoff home run to Ben Rice in the first inning and a two-run homer to Alex Verdugo in the third. He departed at 66 pitches with one out to go in the fourth frame in an unimpressive follow-up to the five scoreless frames he threw Sunday. On the season, the 26-year-old owns a 3.23 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 39 innings and lines up to face the Royals next week if he remains in the rotation.
Jun 30 2024Winckowski (2-1) picked up the win Sunday versus the Padres. He did not allow a run in five innings, gave up four hits and struck out one. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was efficient in his spot start, as he needed only 58 pitches to get through five innings. It was Winckowski's fourth start of the season and his first since early May. The 26-year-old pitched six innings of relief in his previous appearance and followed up Sunday with another quality showing. He lowered his ERA to 2.80 and is projected to face the Yankees next should he receive another turn in the rotation.
Jun 26 2024Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Winckowski will start Sunday's game against the Padres in Boston, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Due to off days Thursday and next Monday, the Red Sox didn't need to add a fifth starter to the rotation until July 6, but manager Alex Cora is electing to bring Winckowski in the rotation early. Brayan Bello had been lined up to start Sunday's game, but he'll instead get pushed back to next Wednesday in Miami and have extra time to regroup after he was lit up for seven earned runs over 2.1 innings in a loss to Toronto on Wednesday. While coming on in relief of Bello on Tuesday, Winckowski struck out eight and allowing two earned runs in six innings, so he looks to be fully stretched out enough to head into Sunday's start without any restrictions with his pitch count. Winckowski has previously made three starts with the big club this season, posting a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 10.2 innings.
Jun 24 2024The Red Sox recalled Winckowski from Triple-A Worcester on Monday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski will give the Red Sox a fresh arm in the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings. Boston was in need of some reinforcement in the bullpen after the team leaned on eight relievers to cover all nine innings of Sunday's 7-4 win over the Reds.
May 12 2024The Red Sox optioned Winckowski to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Sean McAdam of The Springfield Republican reported after Saturday's 4-2 win over the Nationals that Winckowski was headed back to Triple-A, but the Red Sox didn't make the right-hander's demotion official until Sunday, when right-hander Brayan Bello (lat) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Over 12 appearances (three starts) for Boston this season, Winckowski holds a 3.33 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, manager Alex Cora said that Winckowski will join the rotation at Worcester.
May 11 2024Winckowski was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, Sean McAdam of The Springfield Republican reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The move clears the way for Brayan Bello (lat) to be activated ahead of his start Sunday against the Nationals. Winckowski has more walks (six) than strikeouts (four) over his last 14.2 innings (seven appearances). He'll likely be back up at some point when the Red Sox need a fresh bullpen arm.
May 2 2024Winckowski allowed one run on two hits and two walks without striking out any batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Thursday. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski's short outing can be explained by the fact that he began the campaign in a relief role and isn't stretched out to a starter's full workload. Still, the right-hander was able to give Boston 4.1 useful frames Thursday, with the only run against him coming on a third-inning Mike Yastrzemski solo homer. With Nick Pivetta (elbow) nearing a return to the rotation and and Brayan Bello (lat) not far behind, Winckowski could be moving back to a bullpen role relatively soon.
Apr 27 2024Winckowski took a no-decision Saturday versus the Cubs, spinning three shutout inning while yielding only three hits. He struck out one. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was making his second start following seven relief appearances, hence the reason he was pulled after just three innings and 52 pitches. He permitted a pair of baserunners in both the first and second frames but had a clean third inning to finish off his night. With Nick Pivetta (elbow) unlikely to be ready next week, Winckowski will probably be needed for at least one more start. However, he's simply still not stretched out enough to offer any real fantasy value.
Apr 21 2024Winckowski did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on three hits over 3.1 innings during Sunday's 6-1 win over the Pirates. He struck out one. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski made his first start of the season in place of Garrett Whitlock (oblique), tossing a season-high 3.1 innings while limiting the Pirates to one run. After tossing no more than 28 pitches over his three previous outings, Winckowski was pulled after 46 pitches Sunday. The 25-year-old righty will get a chance to stretch out his arm more -- he will stay in the rotation for the time being, as reported by Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. His next opportunity is scheduled to come over the weekend when the Red Sox welcome the Cubs to Fenway.
Apr 20 2024Winckowski will start Sunday in Pittsburgh, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He will be taking the spot vacated by Garrett Whitlock (oblique). Winckowski hasn't pitched longer than 2.2 innings in any relief outing this season and went just one inning in each of his last two appearances, so Sunday's start will be a pretty short one. With Whitlock slated to miss at least a couple weeks, Winckowski could be needed for additional starts after Sunday.
Apr 19 2024Red Sox manager Alex Cora implied Friday that Winckowski is a likely candidate to start Sunday in Pittsburgh, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Cora held off officially naming Winckowski his starter for that day, perhaps in case he is needed in relief before then. He would be filling in for Garrett Whitlock (oblique) and could be asked to make an additional start after Sunday while Whitlock recovers. Winckowski was stretched out as a starter in spring training, but all seven of his appearances since the regular season began have come in relief, with his longest outing being 2.2 innings. His start Sunday would be an abbreviated one.
Mar 30 2024Winckowski allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over two relief innings in Friday's 1-0 loss to the Mariners. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski breezed through the seventh inning but ran into trouble in the eighth when he loaded the bases with two outs. Triston Casas made a nice defensive play to prevent any damage to Winckowski's line. Winckowski projects as a multi-inning reliever that can enter at any point during a game.
Mar 23 2024Winckowski has revealed that he's been pitching with a bone chip in his right ankle since last season, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: By the time Winckowski discovered the issue, he wouldn't have been able to have surgery and be ready in time for Opening Day, so he's putting it off for now. It's possible it could affect his performance, although he's had a decent-enough spring. Winckowski will be used in middle relief for the Red Sox.
Mar 17 2024Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Winckowski will begin the season working out of the bullpen, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 25-year-old was attempting to secure a spot in Boston's Opening Day rotation and pitched well this spring with just one run allowed over 7.2 innings, but the club apparently feels he's better suited to help the big club as a bullpen piece. Winckowski pitched well in that role last season, as he recorded three saves and 18 holds with a 2.88 ERA in 60 appearances.
Mar 14 2024Winckowski allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out two over 3.2 innings in Thursday's spring game against the Phillies. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski, making his fourth Grapefruit League start, breezed through the first inning then hit a road bump in the second, which included a Triston Casas throwing error. He was sharp over his first three appearances before Thursday's effort. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe notes that Tanner Houck and Cooper Criswell have positioned themselves for the final two rotation spots ahead of Winckowski and Garrett Whitlock; however, manager Alex Cora has not indicated which two pitchers will follow Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford. Winckowski was a revelation out of the bullpen in 2023 and could be headed there, per Abraham.
Mar 4 2024Winckowski allowed one run on two hits and struck out two over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Tigers. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski made his second Grapefruit League start in a bid for the final spot in the rotation. He was pulled after 41 pitches (28 strikes) and has allowed one run over 4.2 innings. The competition includes Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.
Feb 29 2024Winckowski walked one and struck out one over two hitless and scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against Washington. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski, making his Grapefruit League debut, walked the first batter he faced then retired six in a row, submitting his first piece of evidence that he should be Boston's fifth starter. The right-hander is transitioning from the bullpen -- he excelled in relief last season -- so Winckowski needs to show he can sustain through longer outings. His main competition for the final rotation spot is Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.
Feb 23 2024Winckowski will compete for a rotation spot this spring, Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski had a strong season as a reliever in 2023, but the Red Sox feel his stuff can hold up over longer outings. The right-hander is in the mix for Boston's final rotation spot along with Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. Winckowski came up through the system as a starter, so pitching multiple innings is familiar.
Dec 5 2023Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Winckowski could be an option for the rotation in 2024, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski had a terrific 2023 season out of Boston's bullpen, posting a 2.88 ERA and 82:31 K:BB over 84.1 innings. He was used almost exclusively as a starter throughout his pro career prior to that, though, and it sounds like the Red Sox will stretch him back out during spring training. Ultimately, whether Winckowski receives a legitimate look in the rotation could depend on how many starters the Red Sox acquire this offseason.
Aug 23 2023Winckowski allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out two without walking a batter to earn the save in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Astros. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski struggled a bit in the 10th inning, but he ultimately limited the damage to a Yainer Diaz RBI single. Kenley Jansen (hamstring) exited the game in the ninth inning after retiring one batter, while top setup men Chris Martin and Garrett Whitlock had pitched earlier in the contest. Winckowski has filled a versatile relief role this year, tallying three saves, 15 holds and four blown saves while posting a 3.06 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 63:20 K:BB over 67.2 innings. The right-hander could see more high-leverage opportunities if Jansen is out for any extended length of time.
Aug 20 2023Winckowski will serve as the Red Sox's opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After making 14 starts for Boston as a rookie in 2022, Winckowski has worked exclusively as a reliever for the Red Sox thus far in his second season in the majors. Though he'll be serving as a starter for the first time in 45 appearances, Winckowski is unlikely to cover more than 1-to-3 innings before turning the game over to Nick Pivetta, whom manager Alex Cora said will work the bulk of the innings in relief. Winckowski enters Sunday's contest with a 3.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 57:18 K:BB in 64.2 innings to go with three wins, two saves and 15 holds.
Jul 24 2023Winckowski struck out two over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning and earned a hold in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Mets. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was summoned with one out in the sixth inning at a high-leverage moment. The Mets had scored to make it a 5-1 ballgame and had two runners on with Pete Alonso up. The right-hander squelched the threat while showing improved velocity, which had dipped during June. Winckowski hit 97 and 98 mph and looked like the pitcher that was so vital to the Red Sox in the early months. He's tied for the league lead with 55.1 relief innings and maintains a 2.93 ERA.
Jun 25 2023Winckowski allowed three runs on five hits and one walk over two innings in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski wasn't tagged with the loss, but one can argue he was the main reason for it. He allowed three solo home runs during his time on the mound, including a pair of homers in the bottom of the sixth inning after Boston had taken a 3-2 lead in the top half of the frame. It was a shocking result for Winckowski, who has been one of Boston's most trusted bullpen arms and had given up just three home runs over 42.1 innings (0.6 HR/9) prior to Saturday.
Jun 1 2023Winckowski (2-1) was tagged with Wednesday's loss to the Reds, allowing three unearned runs on three hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Boston's shoddy infield defense reared itself once again when Rafael Devers' throwing error triggered a three-run inning for the Reds. The previous night, Enrique Hernandez committed a pair of throwing errors, one that led to a run in a 9-8 loss. "We're not a good defensive team," manager Alex Cora bluntly told Chad Jennings of The Athletic. "We have a pitching staff that doesn't have swing-and-miss stuff. When we get to two strikes and induce weak contact, we've got to make the plays. When we're really good, we're making plays. When we're not, we struggle." Winckowski, who's pitched well this season, put an end to an uprising in the sixth inning before the seventh went awry. The right-hander maintains a 2.14 ERA over 33.2 innings with 25 strikeouts and six walks.
May 20 2023Winckowski picked up the save in Friday's 6-1 win over the Padres. He allowed one walk while striking out two over three scoreless innings. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski's lone walk in the seventh inning was the only baserunner he allowed in this near-perfect outing. The right-hander has now tossed scoreless appearances in five of his last six games. The second-year hurler is pitching well as a multi-inning reliever this year, and he has a 2.15 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 29.1 innings.
May 13 2023Winckowski allowed three runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 8-6 loss to St. Louis. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It was a blown save for Winckowski, who came on in the sixth inning after Boston took a 4-2 lead. It was the first outing with poor results for Winckowski, who has been dominant out of the bullpen. The right-hander entered Friday's game with a 1.50 ERA over 24 innings.
May 3 2023Winckowski allowed one hit over a scoreless inning to pick up the save in Tuesday's 7-6 win over Toronto. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Red Sox were working with a short bullpen Tuesday. Kenley Jansen (back spasms) was unavailable, Kutter Crawford threw four innings Friday, Chris Martin was just off the injured list and wasn't going to be used on back-to-back nights, and Brennan Bernardino had pitched three days in a row. As such, manager Alex Cora turned to Winckowski to close out the game. He recorded the save on seven pitches, which was needed after the right-hander threw 30 pitches to record a win the night before. It was the first save in the majors for Winckowski, who was used mostly as a starter in the minors and majors until assuming a multi-inning relief role for Boston in 2023.
May 2 2023Winckowski (2-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings to record Monday's win over Toronto. ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Winckowski was victimized in the eighth inning by shortstop Enrique Hernandez, whose two throwing errors contributed to the Blue Jays knotting the game at 5-5. The right-hander came back out to throw the ninth and was the pitcher of record when Alex Verdugo walked off Toronto. Boston manager Alex Cora would have had the pitcher come back out for a third inning if Verdugo hadn't ended the game, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Winckowski has been valuable out of the bullpen and gets a lot of chances to pitch in support of a starting staff that ranks 27th with a 6.01 ERA. Monday's outing was the eighth multi-inning relief effort for the 24-year-old starter-turned-reliever, who is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five walks over 21.1 innings (11 appearances).