The Boston Red Sox shared roster news ahead of a matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, April 29.
Outfielder Nate Eaton has been promoted from Triple-A. He’ll be joining the club for the series against Toronto. To clear a spot for Eaton, star left-hander Garrett Crochet is heading to the injured list. Crochet is dealing with left shoulder inflammation. It’s a concerning development for the lefty, who’s struggled to replicate his 2025 success this year.
Eaton has been a menace on the basepaths in his brief time in the majors. The utility player has spent parts of three seasons with two clubs. He’s racked up 23 steals in just 113 games.
Boston Red Sox News Update: Garrett Crochet to IL, Nate Eaton Recalled
Crochet was tremendous in his first season with the Red Sox. The lefty came over in a blockbuster trade from the Chicago White Sox. Crochet delivered a 2.59 ERA across 32 starts. He piled up a career-high 205.1 innings as the unquestioned ace of Boston’s staff. Crochet was phenomenal in the first playoff start of his career, firing 7.2 frames of one-run ball in a 5-2 win over the New York Yankees. He punched out 11 in the dominant effort.
The 2026 season has not been kind to Crochet. He’s posted an ugly 6.30 ERA across six starts. Crochet’s first and last starts before the IL trip were similar, as he tossed six scoreless innings in both outings. The four outings in between those quality starts included a whopping 21 earned runs in just 18 innings. Crochet suffered the worst performance of his career on Monday, April 13, against the Minnesota Twins, an 11-run debacle that saw him chased after 1.2 innings.
Eaton began his career with the Kansas City Royals. He swiped 11 bags in his debut season in 2022. Eaton earned scant work with the team in 2023, hitting just .075 across 56 plate appearances. The outfielder joined Boston on a minor league pact heading into the 2025 season. He debuted with the club midway through the year and posted a solid .296/.348/.383 slash line over 41 games. The versatile Eaton spent time at all three outfield spots and third base during his first year in Boston.
Red Sox Lineup for Wednesday’s Matchup Against the Blue Jays
R. Anthony LF W. Contreras 1B W. Abreu RF C. Rafaela CF T. Story SS A. Monasterio DH C. Wong C I. Kiner-Falefa 2B C. Durbin 3B
B. Bello SP
Eaton is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s contest against Toronto. Instead, it will be Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu covering the outfield, with Caleb Durbin at third base. The Red Sox have scored the 10th-fewest runs this season. The squad ranks 28th in OPS, 27th in wOBA, and 29th in wRC+ on offense. It’s a stark contrast from last season, when Boston ranked 7th in scoring.
The right-handed Eaton could be of importance against left-handed pitching. The Red Sox have a subpar 89 wRC+ versus southpaws this season. Anthony, Abreu, and Jarren Duran are all left-handed, leaving them open to platoon possibilities if new skipper Chad Tracy wants to get more righties in the lineup. Eaton has been better against left-handed pitching in his limited career. His OPS jumps by 90 points when facing lefties, compared to his work against right-handed pitching.
Red Sox Lose Garrett Crochet, Add Speedster to Scuffling Offense