When a pitcher has the ability to make upper-90s fastballs look effortless and can turn formidable sluggers into pirouetting strikeouts, it’s easy for fans to assume every outing should go off without a hitch.

Or in Garrett Whitlock’s case, that the road back from season-ending UCL internal brace surgery last spring is a smooth one. In reality, it’s more like a drive through Boston: mired with potholes and slowed by traffic.

That’s why, despite his recent struggles, the Red Sox right-hander thinks calling this a ‘tough stretch’ paints an inaccurate picture.

“I’m still less than a year out of surgery, so still just trying to focus on health,” Whitlock told the Herald before the Braves series, “and the sharpness will get there.”

For so much of the last few years, staying healthy was a seemingly unattainable goal. After a tremendous rookie season in ’21, Whitlock’s ’22 campaign was plagued and cut short by hip injuries and eventual surgery, and elbow issues kept him down for chunks of ‘23.

After making a strong start to the ‘24 season, the affable righty landed on the injured list with an oblique ailment. It was a stunning turn of events when he awoke the morning after a stellar rehab outing in Triple-A to elbow discomfort, and eventually found out he needed season-ending surgery.

“One of the things that we forget, that he had surgery last year,” said manager Alex Cora on Friday. “And yeah, his recovery was amazing and he’s posting, but even me, I forget about that part. … I’m not giving him a mulligan, but we got to remember, this kid came from surgery last year and he’s just getting back to competing.”

Though Whitlock said he feels “good, health-wise,” he still has some not-so-good days.

“Some days are still feeling better than others. Some days it’s like, alright, my arm’s still dragging, so it’s (about) trying to get that to feel crisp again,” he said. “I’m already at more innings than I had last year, so just trying to focus on my body and make sure that’s good, and then continue to refine pitches as I go and just try and focus on each day.”

Whitlock entered Saturday with a 4.43 ERA through 15 appearances (though his FIP is 3.15). But before his April 30 outing in Toronto, he owned a 1.72 ERA in his first 10 games of the season. That outing against the Blue Jays was the first of four blown saves in his last five games, and though he’s still struck out 10 batters over those 6.2 innings, his manager pointed to the four walks as an indicator that the righty is a work in progress.

“I think the stuff is good, the location has been off, especially the walks against righties. You don’t see that from him, and he’s been putting himself behind the eight-ball because of that,” Cora said.

“Honestly at this point right now, it’s like, yeah I hate when I have a bad outing, but at the same time, I’m healthy. That’s what I wanted this year,” Whitlock said. “I never want to do (badly) but at the same time, I think I’m just looking at it like, it’s alright, just keep growing, trust your stuff, and it’ll work out.”

Whitlock is no stranger to looking on the bright side amidst setbacks. When he first addressed the media after finding out his ‘24 season was over, he spoke about the upside: he wouldn’t have to worry about his wife, Jordan, going into labor with their first baby when he was on the road with the team, and he’d be home consistently as they learned how to be parents. It’s even easier to have that mindset now that he’s almost a year into fatherhood.

“As great as Boston is, apparently it’s World Series Game 7 every day,” he said with a chuckle. “Everyone way freaks out over a couple things. After being here for so long, you learn to just kind of tune it out and go about each day.”

“I’m focused on my family, I’m focused on being healthy (for) 162,” Whitlock continued. “Everyone else can say what they want to. I’m on the team, I’m on the team. They kick me off, they kick me off. Wherever I’m at, I’m playing baseball. That’s kind of where I’m at right now. I’m doing everything I can to be the best player I can be, and just going from there.”

As a rookie, Whitlock had a teammate who also dealt with a slew of injuries and setbacks setting an example for him. But it took becoming a father to truly understand what Chris Sale was trying to tell him all those years ago.

“It’s one of those things where it just puts in perspective everything. I could never have another good outing in my lifetime, and I wouldn’t care because I’ve got him. At the end of the day, when I go home, I’m ‘Dad,’ I’m not Garrett,” Whitlock said. “That’s the best thing, that’s the best advice Chris Sale ever gave me, and that’s the biggest thing that I’ve been holding on to.”

“It was after we got shelled in the ALDS against Tampa in Tampa, and we were sitting next to each other and he goes, ‘You want to know the best part about the day?’ And I was sitting there like, ‘What about today was good? There was nothing, we just got shut out.’ It was the game where they were sitting in the dugout eating popcorn.

“But then, Sale looked at me and he goes, ‘When I get home, I’m just dad. I’m no longer Chris Sale.’ And I was like, ‘Dang.’ But it didn’t fully hit me until I had a kid. Now I understand what he’s saying. My kid could care less how good, how bad I am. I get home, I’m Dad. That’s the coolest thing.”