BOSTON -- Ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox made a series of roster moves, including transferring injured ace Garrett Crochet to the 60-day injured list. While the new designation for Crochet sounds scary on the surface, it likely doesn’t change much for the 26-year-old lefty. 

The move for Crochet comes less than 24 hours after the Red Sox announced they had acquired left-handed reliever Joe La Sorsa from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. Shortly after the trade was announced, WBZ’s Dan Roche reported that starter Brayan Bello would be optioned to Triple-A Worcester, with La Sorsa taking Bello’s spot on the active roster. 

La Sorsa, however, still required a place on Boston’s 40-man roster, which was full. Moving Crochet from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day opened up that 40-man spot for the newly acquired lefty without having to designate anyone for assignment. 

The 26-year-old Crochet has been on the injured list since April 29 (retroactive to April 26) with left shoulder inflammation. After initially forecasting a short stint on the IL, Crochet’s recovery has taken much longer than expected, keeping him out for the entirety of May. 

Crochet had just begun facing live batters in one inning of live batting practice on May 26 when he suffered another setback, experiencing tightness in his LAT after the live BP. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday afternoon, where he was diagnosed with a “very low-grade LAT strain." According to interim manager Chad Tracy, Crochet can resume throwing as soon as the tightness subsides.

When asked how close he was to a return before the setback, Crochet told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe he was “not particularly close,” given that he had only thrown the one inning against batters. Now, he’ll have to wait for the tightness in that LAT to subside before restarting the process. 

With the new 60-day injured list designation the earliest Crochet can return is June 25. 

He spent the first two months of the season with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings of work. The 28-year-old lefty exercised his upward mobility clause on Monday, setting in motion the trade to Boston. La Sorsa appeared in two games for Team Italy during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, allowing two runs over 2.2 innings and striking out four. 

La Sorsa has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues with Washington, Tampa, and Cincinnati, posting a 5.21 ERA in 57 innings of relief. He’ll likely have a short window to stick in a Red Sox bullpen that already features three lefties. 

After being returned from his first rehab assignment in April thanks to a left bicep injury, left-handed starter Patrick Sandoval was sent back out on assignment, getting the start for Triple-A Worcester on Friday night. The 29-year-old allowed one walk in 1.1 scoreless innings of work. 

Sandoval has not appeared in a major league game since July 2024 after undergoing an internal brace procedure as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He signed a two-year, $18.25 million deal with Boston in December of 2024 while recovering from the surgery. 

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Tracy told reporters on Friday afternoon that reliever Garrett Whitlock will make his first rehab appearance with Worcester on Saturday. The 29-year-old landed on the injured list on May 28 with left knee inflammation. 

The Red Sox will kick off a three-game series in the Bronx with the Yankees on Friday night. Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.06 ERA) will get the start for the Red Sox opposite Ryan Weathers (2-3, 3.52 ERA) for the Yankees. First pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. 

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