As the Boston Red Sox enter the second half of the season on a high note, following a nine-game winning streak to end the first, they expect internal reinforcements to strengthen their roster as they push for the postseason. Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet have been on the injured list for over two months and Boston hopes they'll be able to return before the end of the season.
But a recent update from Crochet highlights that he still has no timeline for his recovery. He's still not throwing. The ace was originally sidelined on April 26 with shoulder inflammation, but a lat injury emerged during his rehab. The latter injury is still lingering.
Crochet's recovery has taken far longer than the Red Sox expected — so long that he's approaching a contract-altering date. The ace signed a six-year, $170 million deal with Boston early in the 2025 season and a long-term injury could trigger a condition of his deal.
Rob Bradford of WEEI reminded fans that Crochet's contract contains a conditional club option for the 2032 season, which is triggered if he spends more than 120 consecutive days on the injured list with a left arm injury at any point. As of July 17, the publication date of Bradford's article, Crochet has been on the IL for 82 days.
If Garrett Crochet's long injury recovery continues, the Red Sox could gain additional control over him via contract condition
Crochet has a player option on his contract for the 2031 season, which will be voided if he reaches 120 days on the IL this year. Given that he's well overstayed his 60-day IL stint with no hint of a recovery timeline, the Red Sox could soon gain two additional years of control over Crochet in the coming weeks.
That news is all well and good for Boston, so long as Crochet returns to his 2025 production (or something close to it) when he's fully recovered. But the Red Sox would surely also like to have him back in peak health for their impending postseason push. Their team is built on pitching and the offense has proven to be too unreliable to lean on in big moments.
Having Crochet back in the rotation would be an irreplaceable insurance policy for the Sox, regardless of how well their starters have performed without him — they're running thin on pitching depth and another injury, especially while Ranger Suarez is still out, would devastate the pitching staff. Gaining more control over Crochet through his contract condition would be nice for the Red Sox, but it'd be nicer to see him on the mound, dominating as he did a year ago.
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