Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet was initially slated to start their Aug. 1 game against the first-place Houston Astros. But on July 30, manager Alex Cora announced his appearance would be pushed back.
Crochet will now face the Kansas City Royals on Monday or Tuesday, as Cora manages the lefty's workload (subscription required). Crochet is set to surpass his career high in innings pitched in a single season during his next start in his second full year as a starting pitcher. He posted 146 innings across 32 starts last season with the Chicago White Sox, as they severely limited his outings in the second half to maintain his trade value — all of his outings after the 2024 All-Star break were a maximum of four innings.
Crochet is up to 141.1 innings pitched this season across 22 starts. Not only has he been everything the Red Sox have needed and more, but he's one of the most consistent pitchers in the league this year. The Red Sox need to keep him as fresh as possible as the postseason approaches.
Boston still hasn't revealed who will start Friday's game. Its pitching depth took a hit after Hunter Dobbins' ACL injury and Richard Fitts' recent demotion, which means the Sox will have to turn to other options. Some think Kyle Harrison, who came to the Red Sox as part of their return in the Rafael Devers trade, may make his debut, and they called Cooper Criswell up after optioning Fitts. The Red Sox have also been looking for starters on the trade market.
Red Sox push back Garrett Crochet's next start and have fans dreaming about potential trade deadline additions
Harrison, 23, has pitched to a 4.78 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 15 walks over 26.1 innings across six starts since he came to the WooSox. He also made eight appearances, four of them starts, in the big leagues for the Giants this season, to the tune of a 4.56 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.
Boston has been linked to multiple arms on the trade deadline market, including Mitch Keller, Sandy Alcántara, Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. If it trades for anyone well-rested, they could be thrown into the rotation for Friday's start. It'd be a tight turnaround, but the Sox's bench is thin, and every game counts.
Keller and Alcántara pitched on July 28 and 29, respectively, and wouldn't be ready to go in time to start on Friday. Kelly and Gallen went on the 26 and 27, respectively, and they would have adequate rest to potentially start against the Astros if the Red Sox landed either pitcher.
There are mere hours until the trade deadline and the Red Sox have been rather quiet in their pursuits. There will be fierce competition to sign any available starters, and the asking price will likely be more than Craig Breslow is comfortable paying. But to win big, teams need to make big sacrifices, and despite their inconsistent first half, the Red Sox are very much in the conversation to make the playoffs and move up the American League East.