The Red Sox took a hit when Justin Slaten’s season was effectively shut down, but the bullpen picture is not as bleak as it first looked.
Slaten had become one of Boston’s steadier late-inning options, posting a 2.84 ERA over his final two months of availability before elbow trouble ended his run in August. An evaluation later showed degenerative changes in the flexor mass of his right elbow, and instead of chasing a late-season comeback, the Red Sox are sending him for a PRP injection and shifting the focus to 2027. He finished the year with 36 appearances and a 4.60 ERA overall, with much of that work coming in high-leverage spots.
That loss matters. But it also comes with some potentially significant reinforcements on the way.
Garrett Crochet is back on the Fenway Park mound pic.twitter.com/r9t1HSx41b
- Rob Bradford (@bradfo) September 11, 2026
Garrett Crochet may be the biggest piece. Last season’s AL Cy Young runner-up went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, piling up 205.1 innings and 255 strikeouts.
But before he became a frontline starter, Crochet began his pro career as a reliever with the Chicago White Sox, overpowering hitters with upper-90s heat and frequent triple-digit bursts in short stints. That version could be coming back now.
Crochet hasn’t appeared in a game since tossing six scoreless innings on April 25, and after months on the shelf with a shoulder issue that lingered longer than expected, he finally got back into bullpen sessions for the first time in nearly three months. There’s no time left to rebuild him as a starter, but a hard-throwing, one-to-three-inning weapon is exactly the kind of arm that can tilt October.
If Boston can get that version of Crochet, the setup starts to look dangerous fast. A Payton Tolle start that lasts five or six innings, Crochet handling the seventh and eighth, and Aroldis Chapman finishing the job gives the Red Sox a real closing lane behind Sonny Gray in a Game 1.
And Crochet isn’t the only one moving in the right direction.
Tanner Houck is further ahead than the rest of the rehab group, working back from UCL surgery and already up to three innings and 48 pitches in a Double-A Portland rehab outing. He allowed one run and struck out four, then moved on to Triple-A Worcester to keep building and face stronger competition.
Johan Oviedo, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the winter, also returned to game action this week with Worcester after missing more than five months because of a flexor strain. That’s enough to put him in the bullpen conversation before the season ends.
Kutter Crawford is the longest shot of the group. He has not pitched for the big club since 2024, and the only buzz around him right now is unconfirmed “rumblings” that he could get a look at Worcester this week. Even if nothing comes of that in 2026, he remains under team control for two more seasons.
So yes, losing Slaten hurts. There’s no getting around that. But with Crochet, Houck and Oviedo all trending upward at the same time, Boston may be headed into the stretch run with more live arms than it has had healthy at any point all season.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Yankees Dilemma For Game 1
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Payton Tolle has emerged as a particularly intriguing candidate, with his recent performance helping build a case for the assignment and his past success against New York adding to the conversation. For the Red Sox, the choice is about more than just opening-night innings - it is about matching the right arm to the most unforgiving stage of the season, and that discussion is now starting to feel like one of the most important decisions left before October. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Have Let A Painful Miss Get Even Worse
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Red Sox Waste A Winnable Bello Start In Brutal Loss
Brayan Bello gave the Red Sox exactly the kind of start they needed, turning in eight strong innings and limiting Tampa Bay to one earned run while striking out 11. Boston still could not cash in on the edge Bello created, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base in a game that felt there for the taking.
Garrett Whitlock then absorbed the loss when he allowed the winning run in the ninth, sending the Rays to a 2-1 walk-off win and evening the series at one game apiece. For a club that had a quality outing from its starter and enough traffic on the bases to change the night, the frustration was as much about what slipped away as the final score itself. [Read more 🡒]