Workman attended Bowie High School in Bowie, Texas. He was a four-year letter winner, playing shortstop and pitcher. As a senior and captain of the team, Workman had a 10–2 win–loss record with a 0.81 earned run average and 171 strikeouts in 76 innings. As a hitter, he batted.481, and earned first-team All-State honors twice, first-team Louisville Slugger High School All-American recognition, and Rawlings All-Region honors. Workman was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2007 MLB draft, but opted to attend college. Workman attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns. During his freshman season, Workman went 5–2 and was named to the honor roll. During his sophomore season, Workman went 3–5 and held a 4.72 ERA in Big 12 Conference play. Workman would then have an excellent junior season, before entering the MLB draft. Workman also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was a Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star, posting a 3.44 ERA as a freshman.
Workman was promoted to Boston in July 2013, after a season-ending foot injury to Andrew Miller. In his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners on July 10, Workman pitched two innings in relief, gave up three runs, and struck out four. Through the remainder of the 2013 Red Sox season, Workman posted a 6–3 record with 4.97 ERA over 20 regular season appearances, and did not allow an earned run during seven postseason appearances. He pitched a perfect 8th inning in the decisive Game 6 of the 2013 World Series, setting up Boston closer Koji Uehara. Workman also recorded his first professional at bat in Game 3 of the World Series, striking out on three consecutive pitches.
2014
On May 30, 2014, Workman was ejected from a game at Fenway Park after throwing a high pitch behind Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. The incident occurred after Rays pitcher David Price had thrown at two Red Sox batters. On June 3, Workman was fined and suspended for six games. After losing an appeal, he began serving his suspension on June 18. Overall, for the 2014 Red Sox, Workman appeared in 19 games and had a 1–10 record with 5.17 ERA. He also appeared in 11 games with Triple-A Pawtucket, compiling a 7–1 record with 4.11 ERA.
In April 2015, Workman was placed on the disabled list with elbow soreness. He underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection and was ordered not to throw for several weeks. When that was unsuccessful, he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2015. As a result, he missed the entire 2015 season, and during the 2016 season made just ten appearances with Boston farm teams, pitching a total of 20 innings and giving up 17 earned runs.
2017
In December 2016, Workman signed a one-year contract worth $635,000 with the Red Sox. He was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to start the 2017 season; he would make 18 relief appearances with the PawSox, with a 1.55 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. Workman was called up by the Red Sox on May 2, and made his first MLB appearance since 2014 on May 4, pitching three scoreless innings. With the 2017 Red Sox, Workman posted a 3.18 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over innings of relief work.
2018
In January 2018, Workman and the Red Sox avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $835,000 deal for the 2018 season. Having worn uniform number 67 with the Red Sox since his MLB debut, Workman changed to uniform number 44 for 2018. Workman was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket prior to the start of the 2018 Boston Red Sox season, following limited success during spring training. On June 5, Workman was called up to Boston after Drew Pomeranz was placed on the disabled list. Workman made 21 relief appearances during June and July, pitching innings with a 2.89 ERA. He was returned to Triple-A on July 26, when the Red Sox added Nathan Eovaldi to the active roster. Workman was recalled to Boston from July 31 until August 12, when Chris Sale was on the disabled list, making five relief appearances and allowing one run in innings. Workman was again called up on August 18, when Sale went back on the disabled list. For the season, Workman made 43 relief appearances with Boston, compiling a 6–1 record with 3.27 ERA and 37 strikeouts in innings. Workman was on Boston's postseason Roster for the ALDS and ALCS, making three relief appearances and allowing a combined five runs in one inning pitched. He was replaced on the roster by Drew Pomeranz for the World Series, which the Red Sox went on to win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2019
Workman was included on Boston's Opening Day roster to start the 2019 season. For the season, he appeared in 73 games, compiling a 10–1 record with 16 saves, while striking out 104 batters in innings. Workman was named Reliever of the Month in the A.L. after saving 7 games with an ERA of 0.00 and 18 strikeouts. Workman finished the 2019 season as Boston’s closer.
Personal life
Workman grew up a Texas Rangers fan. He and Taylor Caswell were engaged in March 2015, and married in November 2015 in Wichita Falls, Texas.
