Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is dealing with lingering soreness in his lat area, and as a result Crochet’s throwing progression has been halted. The left-hander told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters that he is “going to get some imaging on it just to make sure we have the full picture.”
Crochet downplayed the seriousness of the situation, saying “it feels like a very minor setback. It sucks to even call it a setback because it doesn’t feel like it even deserves that title. But I won’t be making the live [batting practice] on Tuesday, which sucks.”
More will be known once the test results are in, and if Crochet has indeed avoided any sort of structural issue. Still, even a brief shutdown in his throwing progression will extend what has already been more than a month-long stint on the injured list. Crochet hasn’t pitched since April 25 due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
As Crochet noted, he had been slated to toss a live batting practice session on Tuesday. This planned multi-inning appearance would’ve been Crochet’s second outing against live hitters, following a one-inning simulated session last Tuesday. In the aftermath of that outing, however, Crochet said he felt “just felt a little stretch…in the lat” while throwing, and when the discomfort didn’t subside, the decision was made to shut him down for further examination.
Though Crochet had advanced to facing live hitters, he felt “like I was still a little far off from a rehab start, so it was very, very early in the build-up process.” So even if everything had gone smoothly, Crochet still likely would’ve been sidelined until at least the third week of June, when factoring in time for more BP sessions and probably a couple of minor league rehab starts. It now looks like July 1 may be a more realistic target date for a return, assuming he is able to resume throwing reasonably soon.
After finishing as the runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2025, Crochet’s second season in Boston has basically been a wash due to this IL stint and the 6.30 ERA he posted over his first six starts. That ungainly ERA was somewhat inflated by one particularly disastrous outing, as Crochet was charged with 10 earned runs over 1 2/3 innings against the Twins on April 13.
There’s still plenty of time for Crochet to get back onto the field and get back to his old form, though timing is paramount given Boston’s disappointing 25-33 record. The Red Sox will have to consider selling at the trade deadline if they can’t get on track, and getting back into contention will be more difficult the longer Crochet is absent. Though Boston’s struggling offense has been the larger problem than the still-solid rotation, obviously the Sox will be much better off with Crochet on the mound.
