The Boston Red Sox suffered terrible news when Garrett Crochet suffered a setback in his rehab. The left-hander experienced tightness in his lat, which shut down his throwing and caused him to miss a live BP session.
It turns out, the tightness was an injury. Christopher Smith of MassLive reports that Crochet suffered a “low-grade” lat strain. While it is a minor setback, the Red Sox ace can resume throwing as soon as he’s asymptomatic in the lat muscle.
This setback delays Crochet’s return for a little bit longer. The left-hander has been on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation since April 26. While he had progressed to live BPs, he had yet to embark on a rehab start. How long it takes for him to become asymptomatic determines the potential return timeline.
For the 2026 season, Crochet has a 6.30 ERA in six starts. It’s worth noting much of the damage came in a poor start against the Minnesota Twins on April 13. Nearly half the runs he’s allowed on the season came in that game alone.
Garrett Crochet Diagnosed with ‘Low Grade’ Lat Strain
The good news for the Red Sox and Garrett Crochet is a Grade 1 lat strain will heal on its own. Per MLB’s injury glossary, a Grade 1 strain is about a 2-3 week recovery period. However, that offers little recompense considering Crochet’s injury situation isn’t quite comparable to the average lat strain.
In Crochet’s case, the left-hander has been on the injured list for 38 days. Once he starts throwing again, the Red Sox will have to build him up to start again. That could add time to his recovery, especially if he has to start all over from square one.
That makes the left-hander a potential candidate to be transferred to the 60-day injured list. That was true even before this recent setback. In that event, he’s ineligible to return before June 25. Although given the ramp-up period necessary, that seems to be more of a formality.
The Red Sox should prioritize the long-term health of their ace. The club is nine games under .500, and fading out of the Wild Card race, so Crochet may not return in time to save their season.
Red Sox Rotation Has Held Up in Garrett Crochet’s Absence
The Red Sox rotation has held somewhat firm in Crochet’s absence. That’s a blessing in disguise that could make the club more dangerous at full strength. While their rotation is 18th in ERA in 2026, the metric hides the true effectiveness of their starters. That metric is off due to the team’s use of an opener every fifth day in front of one of their starters.
Fellow left-hander Payton Tolle deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Tolle has a 2.61 ERA in seven starts, with 46 strikeouts and 11 walks across 41.1 innings. The club held firm on not trading the left-hander; that decision is paying off wonderfully for them.
Another interesting development has been Brayan Bello’s odd starter vs. reliever splits. The right-hander has a 9.68 ERA in his seven starts, but a 0.71 ERA when used as a bulk reliever. Further hitting the point home is Bello is averaging more than six innings per relief outing, compared to 4.1 innings per start.
The Red Sox have also gotten solid production from their two veterans in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez. Suarez has been worth every penny since Boston signed the left-hander to a $130 million deal.
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