Fans of the Boston Red Sox rejoiced on Tuesday evening upon getting word out of Portland that not only is outfielder Roman Anthony back on the field for the Double-A Sea Dogs after more than three months rehabbing a hand injury, but that he had homered during the game and felt good after it. That was one positive from the files of the Red Sox’s top-tier injured stars. And then there’s Garrett Crochet.
On the plus side, Crochet said that he is hopeful of returning to the mound in 2026 after suffering a shoulder capsule injury. But on the frustrating side: He has given up on the notion of pitching as a starter this year.
Indeed, Crochet has only started throwing again recently after not having pitched since April 25. At this point, the Red Sox have only 39 days left in their regular season, and between building up his throwing strength and a rehab assignment, there just isn’t time for Crochet to work his way to starting this year.
Garrett Crochet Unsure About Red Sox Return Timeline
Crochet threw from 60 feet before the Red Sox’s win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, and told Chris Cotillo of MassLive that he wants to come back but that if he does, it will be “a million percent” as a reliever.
“I’m quite hopeful,” Crochet told Cotillo. “I’m not gonna say (when), because I don’t know. The past couple times I’ve been like, ‘Oh yeah, I probably don’t even need to go on the IL and here I (expletive) am, four months later. Right now, I’m trying to practice delayed gratification with myself. Unless I’m crossing the finish line, I’m not going to start celebrating.”
Red Sox Have Gotten Good Bullpen Help
But, asked what he thought he would be able to contribute if he did get back on the mound for the Red Sox, Crochet was honest. “What could I build up to, max? Probably two innings, just looking at the schedule based on when I started throwing and being smart about it,” he said.
That still would not be a bad addition to a Red Sox bullpen that has been getting solid reinforcements lately. Former starter Brayan Bello has been excellent lately since moving to a long-relief role, and Erik Miller, the former Giants lefty Boston acquired for Marcelo Mayer, has been lights-out (no runs allowed in 6.1 innings, with just two and 10 strikeouts) in six games.
Garrett Crochet ‘Seeing Good Recovery’
Crochet also said he wanted to “clear the air” on reports that he was all that affected by a lat strain this summer while rehabbing his shoulder. The Red Sox ace called it a “non-issue” and said the shoulder was always his real problem.
And that, he says, is getting better consistently.
“Been seeing good recovery, no issues with raising intensity. It’s easy catch. I don’t want to paint the illusion that I’m (expletive) throwing hard right now,” Crochet told Cotillo. “I’ve been in the upper-60s to mid-70s. Today, gonna try to push it a little bit more than that. Just ebbing and flowing volume and intensity together.”
Red Sox Ace Garrett Crochet Gives Frustrating Injury Update