Ahead of the Boston Red Sox series finale in Kansas City on Wednesday, ace Garrett Crochet took the latest step as he works his way back from the left shoulder inflammation that has kept him out of action for the last three weeks. 

Crochet made the first step in his rehab, throwing a bullpen for the first time since landing on the injured list ahead of the Red Sox win over the Phillies last Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he took the next step in his recovery, throwing two up-and-down innings in the visitors' bullpen of Kauffman Stadium. According to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, Crochet was not happy with his mechanics, but said his shoulder felt strong. He'll throw another bullpen in the coming days before progressing to live bullpens next week. Per Speier, he will need multiple outings against live batters, possibly including a rehab appearance. 

Crochet was surprisingly placed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation on April 29 after what was arguably his best start of the season, as he tossed six shutout innings in the Red Sox' 17-1 beatdown of the Baltimore Orioles on April 25. 

The 26-year-old lefty got off to a rough start to the 2026 season, posting a 6.30 ERA in 30 innings of work across six starts, including the worst start of his major league career against the Minnesota Twins. 

While Crochet was hopeful to spend only the minimum 15 days on the injured list, it appears he is still at least a couple of weeks away from a return to the Red Sox rotation.

When he does return, he will join a staff that has become one of the best in baseball. In 17 games in the month of May, the Boston rotation has the third-lowest ERA in Major League Baseball at 3.00 across 84 innings of work. 

With Crochet's return to the rotation looming, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow will have a difficult decision to make regarding his roster. Whose spot in the starting rotation will Crochet take? 

It had appeared that starter Brayan Bello had unlocked something in his two appearances following an opener, which had made the conversation much more difficult for Breslow and the pitching department. But, after Sunday's disastrous performance in Atlanta, could Bello once again find himself as the clear odd man out? Bello has posted a league-worst 9.68 ERA among pitchers with at least 30 innings of work. While a more permanent move to the bullpen could be an option for the 27-year-old, the Red Sox have had one of the best bullpens in baseball, with no clear demotion candidate. Bello does still have two minor league options remaining, so he could find himself having to figure out his struggles in Worcester

Breslow could also choose to option rookie starter Payton Tolle, who has performed well in Crochet's stead. In five starts, Tolle has a 2.05 ERA, striking out 26.1 percent of the batters he's faced while holding opponents to a .160 batting average across 30.1 innings. For a team that still has self-proclaimed playoff aspirations, could Breslow really justify sending Tolle back to Triple-A in favor of the veteran Bello? 

Bello and Tolle may have just a few more appearances to cement their case to stay in Boston as Crochet nears a return. 

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