Numbers say nope.This is a time-consuming thing to research but yeah, I think the Bloom-era Sox are beginning to join other smart teams in staffing more multi-inning instead of single-inning relievers. It seems like a strategy that went into overdrive since the three-batter rule, which disincentivizes specialists.
There are a few ways to do it. The Astros seemed to fashion/revive the multi-inning relief ace a few years ago with Devenski, and now have Javier, Raley and Abreu. The Rays of course developed the opener/bulk inning method and have a slew of arms that can go multiple innings. The Yankees of course have deployed these kinds of guys to great effect lately (King, Loiasiga, Green, Luetge to some extent).
It's also caught on in Baltimore, where former Astros pitching coaches have moved, and has been a big part of the reason why that team has outperformed expectations. Keegan Akin, Dillon Tate and Bryan Baker have all been used as multi-inning guys and have been terrific.
To be clear, I don't think the Sox have their version firing on all cylinders yet. Whitlock, Houck, Sawamura, Strahm, Danish and Davis have all been used this way at varying times (strategically, not in mop-up duty like Valdez), and the road is littered with failed attempts (Andriese, Springs, Richards). Mata, Ward, Seabold, Winckowski, Darwinzon Hernandez and Crawford might all be deployed that way in the next couple years.
One of the virtues of having a bullpen of MIRPs is that it leaves you less vulnerable to starting pitcher injury. Teams with bullpens full of one-inning guys have to scramble pretty hard to fill rotation slots lost to injury, and that can really mess up a 40-man.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2022-reliever-pitching.shtml
AL Pitcher appearances in which the pitcher pitched more than one inning.
123 BAL
100 MIN
96 TBR
93 LAA
90 OAK
87 BOS
87 TEX
86 KCR
84 NYY
83 TOR
League Average 83
78 CWS
69 DET
63 CLE
51 HOU
48 SEA
Compared to AL pitcher appearances where the pitcher recorded less than three outs (and therefore went less than one inning.
103 OAK
97 KCR
96 BOS
85 TOR
79 BAL
71 TBR
League Average 71
76 LAA
64 CWS
63 TEX
61 SEA
60 NYY
59 CLE
53 DET
53 HOU
51 MIN