Garrett

Crochet

Not great. Crochet underwent followup imaging on Monday that showed improvement in his shoulder, but not enough for him to be cleared to start throwing again. The 27-year-old fantasy ace hit the injured list with a shoulder issue back in late April before suffering a lat strain a couple weeks later during his rehabilitation process. At this point it seems highly unlikely he’ll make it back to Boston’s rotation until sometime around August given how long it’ll take him to build up his arm strength and pitch count.

Crochet added that his lat is better now and he has been focusing on re-strengthening his shoulder, and that he doesn’t know when he might actually start throwing. This update doesn’t do much for the timeline beyond clarifying that it likely won’t be before the All-Star break. The fantasy baseball ace has been out since late April with the initial shoulder injury, but at least it seems like the lat is done interfering with his rehab.

Not good. Crochet remains without a return timetable and no immediate plans to resume throwing after suffering a lat strain back in late May. The 26-year-old fantasy ace was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain initially, but clearly the situation was much worse than preliminary imaging revealed. He’s clearly worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate Crochet returning anytime soon. It’s another glaring indication that the Red Sox are likely to wind up as sellers as the trade deadline in early August.

Crochet has been on IL since April 29, so while there wasn’t a formal timetable on his return after a setback with a lat injury, he’ll be down until at least the end of June. A return after the All-Star break would be a sensible estimate for Crochet.

It’s an encouraging development that imaging didn’t reveal any structural damage in Crochet’s shoulder after he was shut down from throwing over the weekend due to lat tightness. The 26-year-old fantasy ace will remain without a definitive return timeline until he’s cleared to begin a throwing progression. It seems highly unlikely that he’ll make it back until after next month’s All-Star break given the nature of the injury and how much time he’ll need to build up his arm strength and pitch count from ground zero.

The 26-year-old southpaw had been scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session on Tuesday, but that will no longer happen. It sounds like they’ll take it day-to-day for now on when he may be able to resume throwing. Crochet has been sidelined since late April due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

The next step for Crochet will be a minor league rehab start, likely this weekend, at either Double-A Portland or Triple-A Worcester. The 26-year-old ace figures to be ready to return to Boston’s rotation at some point in early-to-mid June. He’s been out since late April working his way back from shoulder inflammation.

It’ll be Crochet’s first time facing hitters since landing on the injured list with a shoulder issue back on April 29. The 26-year-old fantasy ace will need at least one minor league rehab outing before he’s ready to return to Boston’s rotation at some point in early June.

If all goes well with that session, the 26-year-old southpaw will be cleared for a simulated game early next week. If he avoids any setbacks along the way, Crochet is on track to return to the Red Sox’ rotation at some point in June.

Crochet told reporters afterwards that he wasn’t thrilled with his mechanics and will throw another bullpen later this week before progressing to facing hitters. The encouraging news here is that his shoulder feels fine from a physical standpoint. The 26-year-old fantasy ace will need a minor league rehab assignment before he returns to Boston’s rotation at some point in June.