The Red Sox are still waiting on a clear playoff read for Garrett Crochet, but the latest checkpoint brought some encouragement.
Boston already knows the left-hander will miss the final four games of the regular season. Beyond that, the picture gets more interesting, with a possible path to the mound in the expected Wild Card series against the Yankees.
For now, the important part is simply getting Crochet through this stretch healthy. The Red Sox can live with uncertainty about his stuff if the bigger box gets checked first: that he’s ready to go.
Manager Chad Tracy said the weather complicated the team’s plans to line up live batting practice against hitters, but he did come away with a positive impression from Crochet’s latest work.
“Garrett felt pretty good today, which is encouraging,” said the Red Sox manager, per MassLive. “He felt pretty good (today), all things considered. That was his first real intense live (batting practice).”
Tracy also laid out the next step, even if the location still needs to be sorted out.
“With the weather, where are we doing (a live BP)?” wondered Tracy.
“But the next step would be another live this weekend. (We’re just) figuring out what that’s going to be and where it’s going to be.”
There are still moving parts, but the Red Sox have a better sense of where Crochet stands after this session. Getting him into more live action against hitters would be another step toward building confidence in his availability.
Reports have indicated he’ll go to Fort Myers to get additional work in against hitters. MassLive also reported that the left-hander was originally scheduled to throw the live BP at Fenway Park, but with a Nor’easter expected this weekend, Boston moved the session to its spring training complex.
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