The News Tribune · May 26, 2017
Whalen recovers from `irrelevant’ spring and gets his chance in Mariners’ rotation
Right-hander Rob Whalen says it up front. He even brings it up himself. He wasted an opportunity this spring with the Mariners by making himself "irrelevant" because of shoulder and calf injuries.
That might be a bit harsh. Injuries are injuries. Even so, Whalen, 23, saw the November trade that brought him to the Mariners from Atlanta as a boost to his career, and the injuries "really ticked me off."
That all fades to the shadows Saturday when Whalen gets an opportunity to start against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He will be the 43rd different player, and 12th different starting pitcher, used this season by the Mariners.