A shoulder injury sidelined Barnes for two months, limiting him to just 44 appearances and 39.2 innings. Before the injury, the 32-year-old had a 7.94 ERA and 1.71 WHIP with 12 walks across 17 innings, as it appeared his late 2021 collapse carried over into the new season. However, Barnes turned his season around after returning from injury. From August 4 onward, he delivered a 1.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 20:9 K:BB over 22.2 innings, including six of his eight saves on the season. He didn't allow an earned run over his final 12 appearances, which interestingly corresponded with throwing more fastballs and less curves. Barnes' curveball has always been his primary strikeout pitch, but it wasn't as effective last year and his K-rate declined significantly, from 37.8% in 2021 to just 19.3%. That may not completely eliminate him from seeing save chances in 2023, but there are better bets for saves in Boston's pen. Read Past Outlooks