On Friday, the Boston Red Sox received some disheartening news.

With Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta returning, Boston has finally begun to look a little better, but it is still in need of more players. According to Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe, Garrett Whitlock, a fellow starter, appeared to be getting close to making a comeback as well, but he had a setback on Friday and will now be placed on the disabled list by the team.

“Garrett Whitlock felt soreness in his elbow yesterday following his start Wednesday,” McWilliams stated. “The Sox are shutting him down for now.”

Before suffering an injury, Whitlock had a 1.96 ERA and a 17-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four outings for Boston during the season’s opening stretch.

Even without Whitlock, Boston’s rotation has remained among the best in baseball, so this news is still quite upsetting. It’s alarming whenever an elbow injury is mentioned, and it’s unclear how much time he will lose right now.

Red Sox fans will apparently have to wait a little while longer for Whitlock’s return, even if Cooper Criswell has been a great replacement for him since the team’s acquisition.

Whitlock may have another chronic illness because he has experienced multiple injuries in his brief professional career. With any luck, he’ll be able to heal completely without experiencing any more setbacks and resume his Boston schedule.