With the left-hander on the injured list for at least the next 20 days, the Red Sox could get an extra year on their ace's contract
The Boston Red Sox have been without ace Garrett Crochet since April 29, when they placed the 2025 Cy Young Award runner-up on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. What was expected to be a minimum stay on the injured list has transformed into a much longer absence for the 26-year-old. However, the team could get an unexpected benefit.
As a result of the injury, though, the Red Sox could gain an extra year on Crochet's contract.
After acquiring Crochet in a December 2024 deal with the Chicago White Sox, Boston and Crochet agreed to a six-year, $170-million contract extension, keeping him in Boston through at least the 2030 season, with a $30-million player option for 2031. The Red Sox, however, included a clause within the deal that could turn that player option into a guaranteed year.
According to Spotrac, the 2031 player-option becomes a fully guaranteed year if Crochet spends 120 consecutive days on the injured list thanks to a left arm injury. In addition to the player option becoming void, a prolonged stay on the injured list would give Boston a club option for 2032 at $15 million, a stark discount from the deal's $28.33 million average annual value.
How likely is Boston to gain the extra years?
The clause is a shrewd piece of business from Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and the Red Sox, giving themselves some insurance in case Crochet, who missed the entirety of the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, were to go down with a major arm injury.
However, even though Crochet was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Friday afternoon, it remains incredibly unlikely that the 26-year-old will reach the 120-day mark to trigger the clause.
Crochet pushed back on the narrative that the LAT strain that kept him from making his second live bullpen as scheduled on Tuesday was a setback, calling it a minor one at most. While the team has yet to set a timeline for his return, interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters on Tuesday night that Crochet could resume throwing as soon as the tightness in his LAT subsides. For Crochet to miss 120 days, he would likely have to suffer another, more serious setback, keeping him out until late August.
Could the Red Sox choose to shut Crochet down?
With the Red Sox eight games under .500, it's looking more and more like a lost season for a team that entered 2026 with World Series aspirations. While Boston could choose to shut down their ace in order to gain the extra years, the risk is likely not worth it.
Crochet is just 26 years old, under contract for the next four full seasons, and an integral part of what the Red Sox are building. Shutting him down to game the system not only risks angering a franchise cornerstone but could also get the team in hot water with the players' union.
For an organization that is less than a year removed from having to trade the face of the franchise, Rafael Devers, thanks to irreparable damage done to the relationship, it would be an incredible miscalculation to risk doing the same with Crochet.
The Red Sox will look to secure a series win in the Bronx on Saturday night in game two of a three-game series against the Yankees. Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.38 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Will Warren (7-1, 3.22 ERA) for New York. First pitch from Yankee Stadium set for 7:35 p.m. ET.
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