Boston Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler is now 1-4 with a 7.80 ERA in his last six starts.
On Sunday, the Red Sox fell 5-3 against the Toronto Blue Jays as Addison Barger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered on consecutive pitches from Buehler in the first inning. The right-handed pitcher is coming off winning his second World Series Championship with the Dodgers in 2024 (of which he threw the final out) and was guaranteed $21.05 million in a one-year free agent contract signed during the offseason with Boston.
His rough start led to a candid response about his place in Boston’s rotation.
Walker Buehler’s Struggles Lead to Troubling Admission
According to Red Sox beat reporter Mac Cerullo, Buehler was asked on Sunday if he felt he was fighting for his spot in Boston’s pitching rotation. He then said that he thought he wasn’t just fighting for his spot on the Red Sox mound, but in the majors entirely.
Asked postgame if he feels as if he’s fighting for his spot in the Red Sox rotation, Walker Buehler offered a very candid response. pic.twitter.com/OJd7m6aIZp
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) June 29, 2025
Buehler said, “I think I’m fighting for my spot in the game, honestly. I think at some point, throwing the way that I’ve thrown, there’s not a lot of places for seven ERA starting pitchers in the big leagues. I don’t know what the next step is, and obviously, I want to take the ball every fifth day and keep going and keep fighting, but at the end of the day, we have depth and talent in this organization, and there are realities in this game.”
“So, regardless of whatever happens, I’ll keep going and keep trying to figure it out. I think I owe that to my family and myself, given the rehab that we go through and what that does to you. I’m going to find it and have a run, I just don’t know when or where that will be,” he added.
Buehler’s History with Baseball
Buehler started at Henry Clay High School in Kentucky. He still holds the single-season strikeout record with 98 strikeouts in 66.0 innings of work. He later had his jersey retired and lettered all four years.
Buehler then played at the NCAA Division I level for the Southeastern Conference’s Vanderbilt Commodores. The Lexington, Ky., native tossed five no-hit innings at the College World Series to help his team lift the national championship trophy.
After being drafted in the 14th round of the 2012 MLB Draft while coming out of high school before his time at Vanderbilt, Buehler was selected as the No. 24 overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.
After playing for the Arizona League Dodgers, Great Lakes Loons (High-A), Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (California League), Tulsa Drillers (Double-A), and the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A), Buehler made his MLB debut in September 2017. Before his call-up, he was selected as the Dodgers’ minor league pitcher of the year.
Since entering the majors, Buehler has been named a two-time All-Star and has won two World Series titles, in addition to the College World Series ring. He achieved all of this while sustaining and recovering from two Tommy John (UCL reconstruction) surgeries.
However, none of this changes that Buehler has a 6.45 ERA throughout the 2025 season.
But, while there may be rumblings, Buehler fought hard to get to the MLB. He’s not going out of the rotation without a fight, and MLB fans shouldn’t count him out just yet.
