The Boston Red Sox may get their ace back for the playoffs, but he won't be starting.
Garrett Crochet, who hasn't pitched since April because of a lat injury, is on track to return late in the regular season or during the wild-card series. If he does make it back in 2026, he'll be doing so as a reliever.
Although he hasn't pitched out of the bullpen in three years, it's a challenge that Crochet feels ready to take on.
"Someone brought it up the other day. They were like, 'Isn't that crazy?' I'm like, 'Not really,'" the southpaw told Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. "I mean, not (to be all) me, me, me, me, but I've done crazy things before. I'm not Joe Schmo. I've done impressive things. I think that that would be a big ask for some people, but I don't think it's a crazy ask for me."
The situation parallels that of Crochet's arrival in the majors six years ago. In September 2020 - just a few months after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox - he debuted in the majors as a reliever after barely pitching all year because both the NCAA and minor-league seasons were canceled by the pandemic. He didn't allow a run in five regular-season games and one playoff appearance for the 2020 White Sox.
Crochet, who acknowledged the similarities of the two situations, is now ramping up toward doing it for a second time. He threw his first bullpen since May on Friday, and will have a second bullpen session Tuesday in Boston. His vaunted fastball sat in the upper 80s during Friday's bullpen, according to Healey, which Crochet believes is the right spot.
"There's going to be a time where I need to step on it," Crochet said. "First bullpen, not the time."
The 27-year-old will have to do his rehab entirely with the Red Sox, as he told Healey that he won't be ready to make a minor-league rehab start before the farm teams end their seasons in mid-September. Right now, he sees himself being able to throw a sim game during the final week of the regular season, with an eye toward potentially coming off the IL for the final weekend.
If he pulls it off, Crochet would boost a Red Sox bullpen that has already been the best in the American League. Boston's relief corps, led by star closer Aroldis Chapman, has held opponents to a .222 average; the unit also owns the majors' lowest WHIP (1.17) and second-lowest ERA (3.14).
The Red Sox sit in the second AL wild-card spot, setting them up for a best-of-three wild-card series against the rival Yankees in New York. Crochet could be a very useful weapon for interim manager Chad Tracy in that series as a high-leverage reliever against one of baseball's best lineups.
