The Red Sox are getting closer to a Garrett Crochet decision that could matter most when the games get biggest.
Crochet has been out for most of the 2026 season, but he has recently been trending toward a return. If he does make it back, the plan is for him to work out of the bullpen, not rejoin the rotation. That alone makes his situation fascinating for Boston, because this is less about replacing a starter and more about adding a possible October weapon.
Chad Jennings of The Athletic framed the key issue this way: "How much impact can Garrett Crochet have in the bullpen?" Jennings writes.
"... But as Crochet ratchets up his throwing program, one big question is just how much impact he can have down the stretch and into October."
That’s the right question, and for the Red Sox, it’s not really about survival. Boston has already shown it can keep winning without him after a rough start to the year. The real appeal is what Crochet might become if he’s healthy enough to contribute when the postseason arrives.
The risk, of course, is obvious. Before he landed on the injured list, Crochet posted a 6.30 ERA in six starts.
If that version shows up again, the Red Sox would be better off elsewhere. But if the arm comes back closer to the version that dominated in 2025, when he put up a 2.59 ERA in 32 starts, or even the 2021 reliever who logged a 2.82 ERA in 54 games, Boston suddenly has a very different kind of late-season asset.
That’s where the upside gets loud. A bullpen mix featuring Crochet alongside Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, with Erik Miller and Tayron Guerrero also in the picture, has the ingredients to be a serious problem for opposing lineups.
And there’s already a recent blueprint for this kind of move. The Los Angeles Dodgers used starting pitcher Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen during their World Series run last year, and the Red Sox could chase a similar payoff by using Crochet in high-leverage spots.
If he comes back as the pitcher Boston saw at his best, then the Red Sox could be adding one of the best arms in baseball to the bullpen at exactly the right time.
Even if the return is more modest and Crochet settles in as simply a reliable reliever, that still counts as a major bonus for a team that has already proven it can stay afloat without him. The luxury isn’t just having Crochet back. It’s having him available when October pressure starts to squeeze every inning.
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