Garrett Crochet is back in the Red Sox postseason picture, though not in the role that made him such a problem for the Yankees a year ago. Boston is weighing whether to place the left-hander on its Wild Card Series roster as a reliever after a long recovery from a left shoulder issue kept him out of games since April 25.
Key takeaways
- Crochet threw his second live batting-practice outing of the week on Saturday in Fort Myers, Florida.
- The Red Sox will announce their roster Tuesday before Game 1 of the best-of-three series against New York.
- Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET and will air on NBC and Peacock.
- Boston has not determined whether Crochet could be used more than once during the series.
- If activated, Crochet is expected to be suited for short relief work of one or two innings.
A different October assignment
There is no realistic expectation that Crochet will recreate the workload he carried at Yankee Stadium last postseason. In Game 1 of the previous American League Wild Card Series, he led Boston to a 3-1 victory by striking out 11 Yankees across 7 2/3 innings, throwing 117 pitches in the process. That win stood as the Red Sox’s only victory in that series.
This October, merely being available represents a meaningful step for Crochet. The runner-up in last season’s American League Cy Young Award voting spent months rebuilding strength around the capsule surrounding his rotator cuff after shoulder trouble and a subsequent setback interrupted his season.
He believes he has put in enough work to earn a postseason chance. “I have been feeling good,” Crochet said after Saturday’s session. “Now it comes down to whether the club sees it the same way.”
The lefty said the rehabilitation process lasted considerably longer than he anticipated, but he kept pushing to give himself an opportunity to help Boston in October. He said the club has positioned itself well to emerge from the series with a win, whether or not he is included.
Boston will monitor him day by day
Manager Chad Tracy said Crochet came through the live batting practice without trouble, but the final decision will wait until the club completes its workout and roster discussions. The Red Sox are keeping the door open, rather than making any guarantee.
The bigger question is not simply whether Crochet makes the club, but how much availability he could offer in a short series. A pitcher who works Tuesday might be needed again immediately in a format where two wins advance a team, yet Tracy said any repeat appearance would depend on continued medical and performance evaluations.
Boston knows Crochet has worked diligently to restore the needed strength, Tracy said, but the club plans to assess him every day. That leaves his potential availability for a second outing unresolved.
Relief work would not be foreign territory for Crochet. He handled it at Tennessee and began his Major League career in the White Sox bullpen, posting a 2.71 ERA over his first 72 appearances before moving into a starting role in 2024. With no chance to build toward a starter’s pitch count during his return, a brief appearance is the likeliest route if he is activated.
Should he get that call, Crochet will bring recent postseason experience into a rivalry setting. He said his biggest takeaway from last year’s Game 1 was learning to settle into the October atmosphere, block out outside noise and keep the occasion from growing larger than the job at hand.
