It's another year of the injury bug biting the Boston Red Sox's pitching staff. In 2025, 14 different pitchers started games (not including openers) due to the number of injuries. Only three pitchers made 25+ starts. It's only April, and six different pitchers have made starts, and Jake Bennett is projected to make his MLB debut against the Houston Astros on April 1.
The latest pitcher to find his way to the injured list is Garrett Crochet. The Sox announced their ace was hitting the 15-day IL on April 29 (retroactive to April 26) with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Even though the Red Sox think he'll only need the minimum stint, the ailment is a major concern for Red Sox Nation because of Crochet's injury history.
Crochet missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. In 2023, after returning from rehab in May, he needed a cortisone shot in his throwing shoulder, causing him to miss another three months from June to September. The 2025 AL Cy Young runner-up also set a career high in innings by almost 60 last season, and hasn't been as sharp to start 2026. While some are chalking that up to a lower arm angle affecting his command and movement, there is now some concern that could come from injury.
Struggling Red Sox being pushed to the brink with rotation injuries, including Garrett Crochet
Crochet had a cortisone shot in that left shoulder due to inflammation in 2023. He had a setback during the rehab. Ended up being out from June 15th to September 22nd.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 29, 2026
Hopefully it being retroactive to 4/26 means the hope is he’s back after missing the minimum amount of days. https://t.co/cwEAbHxtYs pic.twitter.com/TC4fZyRdRf
Crochet is joining Sonny Gray on the IL, who is out until at least May 6. The Sox's rotation depth is being tested early in the season. While the depth of starters Boston had was praised at the start of the season, setbacks in the rehab process of Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval immediately hurt that. Tyler Uberstine made his MLB debut in relief, but after being sent back to Worcester, he found himself on the 15-day IL, leaving Payton Tolle and Bennett as the last options.
It's just another hit to an already rough start to the season for the Red Sox. The earliest Crochet can come back to action is May 10, meaning he'll miss the next three series against Houston, the Detroit Tigers, and could come back for the final game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With an off day following the four-game set with the Rays, he would likely come back for the first game against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 12.
Crochet is hopeful that he will only be out for 15 days, though. He said he felt some fatigue after his last start.
"It just makes more sense to get ahead of it now so I’m not playing catch-up the rest of the season," Crochet said to reporters after his IL placement.
That would obviously be the best-case scenario for the Red Sox, who are trying to play catch-up in the AL. With other members of the rotation struggling as much as they are, having to rely on multiple rookies is less than optimal. Let's hope that this isn't a long-term thing for one of the best pitchers in baseball.
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