The Red Sox took a 2-1 loss to the Rays in St. Petersburg on Saturday, but the day also brought encouraging work from two pitchers who could matter once October arrives.
Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck each moved another step along in their recoveries, with Boston weighing bullpen roles for both rather than trying to stretch either man back into a starting workload before the postseason.
Two arms moving toward October
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Crochet, the club’s left-handed ace, completed a two-inning side session at Polar Park in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was another checkpoint in his effort to return as a relief option for the postseason.
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If he comes through the outing without a setback, Boston hopes to have Crochet face live hitters at Fenway Park early next week. There is also a possibility he could take the mound more than once during the final regular-season homestand.
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Houck made his last rehabilitation start with Triple-A Worcester, working 3 1/3 innings against two hits and two runs, one of them earned. The right-hander did not issue a walk and struck out two while continuing his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
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The Red Sox open their closing homestand Tuesday, with the Guardians and Cubs coming to Fenway Park. Houck could potentially get one or two major league appearances during that stretch.
Tracy: Recovery will set the pace
Interim manager Chad Tracy said Crochet’s timetable will be driven by the pitcher’s response after each assignment, not by a fixed schedule.
“It comes down to how he feels after this and how much workload we decide to give him,” Tracy said. “That may not be the answer everybody wants, but that is the reality. He has to get through each stage, then we see how he responds. From there, we decide whether he needs more hitters or whether he is ready for game action.”
Neither Crochet nor Houck has enough runway left in the regular season to be rebuilt as a starter. That has shifted the focus to the bullpen, where a healthy Crochet could provide a high-leverage left-handed weapon and Houck could offer another experienced arm for a postseason staff.
For a club trying to line up its October pitching, Saturday’s loss at Tropicana Field came with a useful reminder: the final box score is only part of the day’s work. In Worcester, two important arms were still moving forward.
