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Posted at 11:00 AM EST.

1:05 PM EST. The Red Sox recalled the 26-year-old Brian Johnson to make a spot start last week after placing Eduaro Rodriguez on the paternity list but that start never happened. Johnson was a first-round pick of Boston in 2012 and has made two big league appearances, a start in 2015 and a start in mid-April of this year in Toronto. Johnson has overcome a variety of maladies throughout his career, including an elbow injury as well as anxiety in 2016. He has a big body and the pitch mix to succeed but none of his offerings are considered plus—or even above average. He sequences his pitches well and changes speeds with ease. Johnson induces groundballs with his 87-91 mph sinker that he locates low in the zone. At one point, his curveball was his best offering, though that has regressed in recent seasons. The lack of velocity (average of 88 MPH) and no knockout offering limits his upside and while he’s had success in the minors, his two MLB starts have been disastrous (7.71 ERA, 5.96 xERA, 1.86 WHIP) which is a mental hurdle he’ll have to overcome too. As the chalk, we’re not interested in the least.

Seattle will also send a newcomer to the mound here. A fresh arm and face has to be a welcome site for every player in that M’s dugout. After suffering a strained calf during spring training and then shoulder inflammation, Rob Whalen had just gotten started in Triple-A when he got called up to help a depleted Seattle bullpen (On May 7) but was never used and subsequently sent back down. He’s now been called up again and he might be here to stay. The 6'2", 220-pound right-hander had a great season for the Braves in 2016, climbing three levels to the majors where he started five games and put up credible numbers. Whalen throws everything: a fastball, slider, curve and change-up. He does struggle to control his two-seam fastball that sits in the low-90 mph range. His slider is his most reliable secondary pitch and is now a solid offering. With his variety of pitches, decent control, and good strikeout numbers, Whalen has the potential to become a reliable #2, 3 or 4 starter at this level for years to come. In six minor league seasons, Whalen’s ERA was 2.42 with a 1.12 WHIP in 364 innings. He has had proper seasoning and in those aforementioned five starts at this level in 2016, he threw 25 innings and struck out 25 batters. Whalen might get blown up, as that possibility is always there with young and inexperienced starters but he has better stuff and more upside/potential than his counterpart and that counterpart cannot be favored in this range.

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