Garrett Crochet is making progress. Just not the kind of progress the Red Sox desperately need right now.
Boston’s 27-year-old lefty went for a scheduled reevaluation of his shoulder Monday, and interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters the results showed improvement. But here’s the catch: Crochet still isn’t cleared to start throwing. Not yet. And until he picks up a baseball, his return date remains a total mystery.
Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reported the update before Monday’s series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field. Crochet has been on the 60-day injured list since April with shoulder issues, and it just keeps getting more complicated. He suffered a low-grade left lat strain in June, which delayed everything even further.
So yeah. It’s been rough.
What’s Actually Going On With Crochet?
The team hasn’t said much beyond Tracy’s brief comments. But the gist is this: Crochet’s shoulder is trending in the right direction, but not fast enough for him to start a throwing program. The MRI or whatever imaging they used showed the inflammation or damage is calming down. That’s good news in a vacuum. But it doesn’t help the Red Sox win games in July.
Boston entered play Monday at 31-44, dead last in the AL East, 14.5 games out of first. They just lost 3-1 to the Mariners on Sunday, even if they did win the series. The season is slipping away fast. If the team keeps losing, there’s a real question about whether rushing Crochet back even makes sense anymore.
When Could He Actually Pitch?
Nobody knows. Not really. The Red Sox haven’t put a timeline on his return, which is usually a bad sign. Once he does start throwing, he’ll need a few weeks to build back up. So even in a best-case scenario, Crochet is probably looking at a late August return at the earliest. And that’s assuming nothing else goes wrong.
Given how this year has gone for Boston, you wouldn’t bet on smooth sailing.
The front office has to decide soon whether to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Crochet’s situation complicates that calculus. If he’s not going to pitch meaningfully until September, does it even matter for 2025? The team might be better off letting him fully heal and treating this year as a wash.
But nobody in the organization is saying that out loud yet.
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