Despite the amount of pitching depth they entered the season with, the Boston Red Sox's rotation has been frightfully thin in late April and into May. Sonny Gray is fresh off a hamstring injury, Ranger Suarez had one of his starts pushed back, Brayan Bello hasn't looked like himself and Garrett Crochet is on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
Crochet has been on the 15-day IL since April 29 (retroactive to April 26). As with Gray, Boston hoped to have him back in action after the minimum stint, which would be sometime during their May 12-14 series agains the Philadelphia Phillies. But reports on Crochet's recovery process don't suggest the Red Sox will be that lucky.
Tim Healey of The Boston Globe on May 9 reported that Crochet is still only playing catch and not throwing off a mound. Crochet is throwing out as far as 100 feet, but he'll need to return to the mound in a practice setting before he can return in a game. Healey described his return as "not imminent."
Boston was quick to assume that Crochet would return after just 15 days on the shelf which certainly seems premature now — the lefty missed nearly the entire second half of the 2023 season with shoulder inflammation, which has worried fans even more about his timeline. There's no structural damage in his shoulder but any delays in his recovery are concerning.
Red Sox reporter describes Garrett Crochet's return from 15-day IL as "not imminent"
Crochet hasn't looked like his usual self on the mound so far this season, to the point that fans have wondered if his injury might have something to do with it. The 26-year-old has posted a 6.30 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks through 30 innings. He's less than a year removed from a season during which he clocked a 2.59 ERA, a league-leading 255 strikeouts and landing in second place in American League Cy Young voting.
At least the Red Sox haven't had to worry too much about their rotation while Crochet is out. Gray and Suarez both recovered from their hamstring injuries quickly, and Payton Tolle (2.78 ERA) and Jake Bennett (4.35 ERA) have been great additions to the rotations in his stead.
Still, for the Red Sox to be at their best, they need Crochet back and in his usual form. This year's Sox team was (allegedly) built on run prevention and Crochet being the stopper is a huge part of that strategy.
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