The Red Sox may not have to wait nearly as long as expected to get Garrett Crochet back, but the path back could look different than anyone first imagined.
Boston has dropped three straight, a skid that has taken some of the shine off the team’s recent momentum. Even so, reinforcements are starting to show up.
Adley Rutschman was activated for tonight, and he’s the first major name back in the mix. Crochet, though, is the bigger swing piece - and the club may have found a way to get him on the field sooner.
If Boston tried to bring Crochet back as a starter, the ramp-up would likely stretch beyond the end of the season. That’s why the Red Sox are exploring a different lane: shifting him back into a relief role, which could speed up his return.
The idea makes sense given Crochet’s current situation. He has been sidelined since April, when shoulder soreness sent him to the 10-day IL.
That issue later became a 60-day IL stay after he had a setback. With the season moving quickly, Boston doesn’t believe there’s enough time for him to build back up as a starter.
Crochet, for his part, is on board. “There’s no ego about it.
It’s something I’ve done before,” Crochet said. “If there’s any way possible I can help this team achieve the goal we set out in spring training, the goal that every team sets out to achieve, if I could help us achieve it, I don’t really care what the role is,” (via Kaley Brown).
The possibility isn’t exactly foreign territory. Crochet was a strong reliever for the Chicago White Sox in 2021, his first full MLB season, when he appeared in 54 games and finished with a 2.82 ERA, 65 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.270 over 54 innings.
And Boston doesn’t exactly need him to save the rotation. The Red Sox already have one of the top starting groups in the league, with Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett, and Patrick Sandoval.
That’s what makes the relief plan appealing. Crochet wouldn’t have to be stretched out for full starts to matter. If Boston can get him back for an inning or two every couple of games, that would be a major boost - especially at this point in the season.
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