The Boston Red Sox have been without ace Garrett Crochet for much of the 2026 season after the 2025 Cy Young Award runner-up landed on the 15-day injured list on April 29 with left shoulder inflammation. After attempting to ramp things back up in late May, Crochet suffered a setback when he was diagnosed with a LAT strain, which put his 2026 season in jeopardy. 

Ahead of Tuesday night's series-opening win over the Chicago White Sox, interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, that the ace had begun throwing, restarting his long journey back to the mound. 

However, according to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Tracy told reporters on Thursday afternoon that Crochet being able to stretch out enough to return to the rotation was "probably not feasible."

Assuming he makes it through his throwing progression and eventual rehab assignment injury-free, Crochet will likely join a Red Sox bullpen that has the lowest ERA in baseball at 2.89. 

There are a couple of different ways Tracy could deploy his first, first and foremost to help limit the workload on both Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett, who have already surpassed their career highs in innings pitched. 

Another option for deploying Crochet is as an opener for Brayan Bello. The 27-year-old has thrived in a bullpen role since being recalled from Triple-A, posting a 0.64 ERA, the lowest ERA for a reliever with at least 35 innings pitched. However, the team has been hesitant to return him to a starting role after he posted a 10.35 ERA in the role. Using Crochet as an opener for the struggling Bello could allow the team to move to a six-man rotation to provide relief for Bennett and Tolle. 

However, when the playoffs arrive, Crochet becomes one of the most valuable relief arms in baseball, giving Tracy a potential fireman option if one of his starters finds themselves in trouble early in games, or a potential elite setup arm as he looks to bridge the gap between the starters and All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. Crochet served as a bullpen arm in both the 2020 and 2021 postseason as a member of the Chicago White Sox. In three innings of relief, the then-rookie Crochet allowed zero runs on five hits while striking out six and walking only one. 

As for whether or not the Red Sox would consider using the big left-hander in a bullpen role upon his return, Tracy told MLB.com's Ian Browne that the team would "be foolish not to consider that." 

For now, though, the 27-year-old will continue to work through his throwing progression and await his return to a big league mound, while the Red Sox make a late-season push for the American League East crown. 

After Thursday night's 13-inning marathon win, Boston will look to extend their winning streak to nine when they welcome the Athletics for a three-game weekend set at Fenway Park that gets underway on Friday. It will be Tolle (6-6, 3.30 ERA) who gets the start for the Red Sox, opposite Jack Perkins (2-7, 6.72 ERA) for the A's. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.