Article: Should The Red Sox Start The Season With a Six-Man Rotation?

[Nick John]

With enviable depth options, and experienced swingman, and several stretches without off days, especially at the start of the season, a six-man rotation makes a lot of sense.

The five-man rotation has been a staple in baseball going as far back as the 1960s, when teams began to move away from the four-man rotation. While its adoption wasn't widespread until the early 1970s, the thought of not using a five-man rotation is a foreign one to most modern baseball fans. And yet, the use of the rotation has been evolving over the years. We’ve seen the implementation of an opener who throws an inning before a bulk reliever goes three to five innings. Likewise, the usage of bullpen games has been rising after being heavily used by the Tampa Bay Rays over this decade and the previous one.

The six-man rotation isn't unheard of, but it's fast becoming more common. At this moment, there are two teams considering the use of a six-man rotation heading into the 2025 season: the Red Sox and the Dodgers. After bringing in Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Patrick Sandoval, and getting Lucas Giolito and Garrett Whitlock back from injury, Boston's rotation has plenty of depth, but is also packed with pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery in recent years. Giving them an extra day of rest makes a world of sense. The Dodgers used a six-man rotation at times in 2024 and they are considering it once more to protect pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, who pitched in a six-man rotation during their time in Japan.

The six-man rotation is common in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, or NPB, where pitchers will start once a week and are expected to go deeper into games, as a typical NPB week sees each team play six games and get one rest day. This style of schedule is not much different from how Triple A now operates. Since the 2021 season, teams play a six-game series from Tuesday to Sunday resting on Monday. In America, though, many pitchers want to pitch as often as they can, showcasing their how good they truly are.

The newest addition to the Red Sox rotation, Buehler, summed it up well:. “For me, you go to a six-man if you have the talent to do it, if you have six guys that are ready to take the ball every day in the big leagues and I think we certainly do. If that’s something they want to go to, I’m obviously open to it, or kind of accustomed to it. But, there’s also some pride in trying to go and make 32 starts and threw 200 innings. I know given my injury history, that that’s kind of a different deal, but I have done that. And that was something that I’m really proud of and something I would love to do again. So, I think there’s pros and cons to both”.

A six-man rotation may very well prove useful for the Red Sox, at least early on in the season. The projected five-man rotation of Crochet, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Giolito, Buehler has pitchers coming off of a career-high in innings, and the other two are coming off injuries. While Giolito and Crochet have both stated that they’re ready to go pitch without limitations, it would still be wise to ramp them up as the season progresses, Houck just shattered his career-high in innings pitched, and Buehler pitched for the first time in 2024 after missing over a year and a half. With plenty of depth available for a sixth member of the rotation, it would make sense for Kutter Crawford or Richard Fitts to fill in as that sixth man, with the possibility of moving into the bullpen if needed.

There’s no need to keep the six-man rotation for the whole season, either. Looking at the start of the season, the Red Sox play five games before they get an off day, the sixth man in the rotation could be skipped that turn through. After that, whoever is the Opening Day starter against Texas would take their usual scheduled turn on April 2 in Baltimore, before the six-man rotation officially is needed, as the team plays 15 straight games before the next off day on April 17. The team then closes out April by playing 12 games over 13 days, and the sixth man in the rotation could help to lighten the load.

After that, the sixth man could return to the bullpen for the first half of May, allowing the team to return to the traditional five-man rotation until May 16, when there's a stretch of 15 games in 16 days. In June, however, the sixth man would not be needed as the Red Sox get four days off in the month, all of them somehow landing on Thursday. The rotation would not need extra help through July as the Red Sox have six days off, providing enough of a rest. If a spot start were needed, it would occur between July 4 and 14, when the Red Sox don't have any days off. After that, the six-man rotation would really only be extremely useful one more time: from August 21 to September 3, when the Red Sox have 14 games in 14 days.

In a sense, a six-man rotation is a luxury, an addition to an already mighty rotation, as this sixth starting pitcher allows the other five to keep their strength for the stretch run of July and August without sacrificing April and May. If the Red Sox didn’t have the depth to provide such an option, it wouldn’t be an interesting idea to contemplate. Kutter Crawford is no stranger to a swingman role, and that comfort switching between the rotation and the bullpen could be aboon. While Crawford has stated publicly that he considers himself a starter, there is no denying that he looks like the odd man out of the rotation, barring a phenomenal spring. But it’s not just Crawford that makes this plan possible. In fact, the Red Sox have ten pitchers who could step in and start for them on the 40-man roster. And that’s not including, Patrick Sandoval, who will return at some point during the second half, or players who have started before in the past like Josh Winckowski or Whitlock. The team has so much starting pitching depth that it would be foolish to not at least consider the possibility of a temporary six-man rotation, at least to open the season.

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[moonslav59]

I've never been a fan of the 6 man rotation, even after the roster was expanded to 26 (and 13 pitchers.)

I want Crochet and Houck starting every 5 days- maybe Buehler, too. 32-33 starts not 27 (162/6=27.)

It also takes away a RP'er, unless the plan includes using a SP'er on his "throwing day," if needed, in between starts.

Our pen is bad enough, as it is. It would be better with Crawford as a bulk innings guy, even bulk high leverage innings.

I can understand why they want to do it, at least to start the season, and if someone goes on the IL, it's easy to just flip to a 5 man, or bring up Criswell, Fitts or priester, but I'd pass on the idea.

[mvp 78]

Yes, they should start with a six man rotation and then see where it shakes out. Maybe someone pitches himself into the pen. Maybe the six man rotation just works really well. 

[Old Red]

50 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I've never been a fan of the 6 man rotation, even after the roster was expanded to 26 (and 13 pitchers.)

I want Crochet and Houck starting every 5 days- maybe Buehler, too. 32-33 starts not 27 (162/6=27.)

It also takes away a RP'er, unless the plan includes using a SP'er on his "throwing day," if needed, in between starts.

Our pen is bad enough, as it is. It would be better with Crawford as a bulk innings guy, even bulk high leverage innings.

I can understand why they want to do it, at least to start the season, and if someone goes on the IL, it's easy to just flip to a 5 man, or bring up Criswell, Fitts or priester, but I'd pass on the idea.

I agree on the 6 man rotation. I know there has been talk about it, but first of all you have to have 6 good healthy arms to do it, and the Red Sox have has a hard time having 5 the past few years. I’m not counting on Gio to even start the season on the active roster. Last seen on the mound he was a HR Derby pitcher, so who knows what you’ll get out of him anyways.

[Bellhorn04]

It's been talked about so much they might as well give it a whirl, just to get it over with LOL

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

It's been talked about so much they might as well give it a whirl, just to get it over with LOL

Even if Gio isn't ready, Criswell will be. It's not like they are going with Ryan Weber as their 4th and a bullpen day on the fifth. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I find it irritating that teams are so reluctant to try the six-man rotation. The Brewers deployed it successfully in... 2021? I think. The Astros also ran a six-man for most of the season a couple of years ago.

I think it's especially useful early in the season when weather is cold and resting a pitcher could lead to strong second-half performance.

[Old Red]

2 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I find it irritating that teams are so reluctant to try the six-man rotation. The Brewers deployed it successfully in... 2021? I think. The Astros also ran a six-man for most of the season a couple of years ago.

I think it's especially useful early in the season when weather is cold and resting a pitcher could lead to strong second-half performance.

The Red Sox have burned out the BP the last few years, and need as many BP pitchers as they can get. Having 1 less I don’t see as working out to anything good. Especially with there being so many question marks as there are with the BP now.

[mvp 78]

32 minutes ago, Old Red said:

The Red Sox have burned out the BP the last few years, and need as many BP pitchers as they can get. Having 1 less I don’t see as working out to anything good. Especially with there being so many question marks as there are with the BP now.

It's not really one less. With a six man rotation, the bullpen will be the same size it was back when they won all their WS titles. 

[notin]

Absolutely not.

In these days of preventing pitchers from facing the lineup the dreaded third time, you will have created a situation where the individual starters are pitching the same IP per game, leaving the same IP for the bullpen, but divided up amongst fewer pitchers…

[moonslav59]

53 minutes ago, notin said:

Absolutely not.

In these days of preventing pitchers from facing the lineup the dreaded third time, you will have created a situation where the individual starters are pitching the same IP per game, leaving the same IP for the bullpen, but divided up amongst fewer pitchers…

This is how I see it. We started needing a 13 man staff, when SP'ers started getting a pat on the back for going 5 inning.

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

This is how I see it. We started needing a 13 man staff, when SP'ers started getting a pat on the back for going 5 inning.

Have them throw strikes and pitch longer? 

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Have them throw strikes and pitch longer? 

Easier said than done. Good theory, but the reality is, these guys often suck the third time through.

I'm wondering if we can use these starters for a batter or two on their "throwing day."

The 6 man rotation does provide for a more balanced days off: 2 rest days- throwing day- 2 rest days, then a start.

[notin]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Have them throw strikes and pitch longer? 

Pitching longer (on days they’re not getting pummeled) is fine.  But if you have a strategy of limiting them to facing the lineup twice, they better be perfect through six…

[mvp 78]

Just now, notin said:

Pitching longer (on days they’re not getting pummeled) is fine.  But if you have a strategy of limiting them to facing the lineup twice, they better be perfect through six…

That's not the strategy though. They face the top of the order for the third time in the vast majority of all of their starts (Bello, Crawford, Houck, Giolito in 2023).

[moonslav59]

45 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That's not the strategy though. They face the top of the order for the third time in the vast majority of all of their starts (Bello, Crawford, Houck, Giolito in 2023).

There was a major shift from 2023 to 2024 with 3rd time opportunities and success.

OPS Against 3rd time through (PA sample size) 2023>2024

.937 (85) Houck .765 (195) (2024: .510 1st, .614 2nd)

1.142 (49) Crawford .720 (170) (2024: .677 1st, .709 2nd)

.861 (156) Bello .780 (164) (2024: .787 1st, .622 2nd)

Pivetta was the exception:

.670 (69) to .808 (101) 2024: .642 1st, .751 2nd