Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy recently brought up the possibility of using Garrett Crochet out of the bullpen, assuming he is able to return from his shoulder injury by the end of the season.
"If he's healthy and right, and he looks like Garrett Crochet, I think we'd be foolish not to consider that," Tracy said about possibly using Crochet as a reliever after his return.
Additionally, Tracy said it is "probably not feasible" for Crochet to stretch out to six innings by the end of September, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
Obviously, it would be a huge boost for Boston to get the 27-year-old back in any capacity by the start of the playoffs. As it stands, the Red Sox are in a good spot to make a real playoff run. They are currently 64-56 and are 4.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers for the second AL Wild Card spot with less than two months remaining in the regular season.
And if they can get their Ace back, even if it's just to use out of the bullpen, then that could greatly move the needle for the Red Sox.
Having Garrett Crochet in the bullpen would be wise for Boston
This clearly wouldn't be a long-term move, but having Crochet come out of the bullpen for the rest of this season could be a great idea for Boston.
Teams typically cut their rotation in the playoffs anyway, and the Red Sox should feel confident in Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, and Jake Bennett to carry the load in the postseason. Plus, it would be way too much pressure to put on the Mississippi native to have him immediately return as a starter around the start of the playoffs since he's been out since Apr. 25 (and wasn't all that good even before he went down -- he had a 3-3 record and a 6.30 ERA in 30 innings pitched)
It also helps that the Red Sox kind of need some reinforcements in the bullpen now, too. Everybody is getting tired and losing steam, and Garrett Whitlock was just placed on the 15-day injured list.
It would be tough for Boston to trust Crochet to start a playoff game this year, especially since he isn't even back on the mound yet. But bringing him out of the bullpen? That could be the edge he and the Red Sox need to move the needle in their favor come October.
Add us as a preferred source on Google