Crochet stays inside as Red Sox schedule fuels win streak
Injured Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is skipping the dugout during Boston's 14-game winning streak, saying his treatment-heavy Red Sox schedule and superstition keep him inside. After Wilyer Abreu's seventh-inning homer Saturday, he decided not to tempt fate while his left shoulder rehab remains uncertain.
Key Takeaways
- Crochet has been idle since late April with a left shoulder capsule injury that proved worse than first thought.
- His rehab Red Sox schedule kept him out of the dugout early in a 19-2 stretch; superstition now keeps him clubhouse-bound.
- Boston owns a 14-game winning streak and can tie the 1946 club record in Wednesday's doubleheader against Baltimore.
- A May lat setback stalled his ramp-up; he is focusing on rotator cuff strength and will not claim a 2026 return.
- He wants trainers to reverse-engineer a plan aimed at a possible playoff comeback.
Why is Garrett Crochet staying inside during the streak?
According to MLB.com, Crochet was unavailable for the bench early in Boston's torrid run because of how his treatment and training day was structured. He did not want to interfere with players who were competing.
As the wins piled up, he chose not to change a good thing. On Saturday, he finished work around the seventh inning and considered heading out—then Abreu hit a two-run homer that flipped a 6-3 deficit into a 7-6 win over the Rays. Crochet's reaction was immediate: he had to stay inside.
On Monday night, he watched from the clubhouse with Payton Tolle as Caleb Durbin's homer helped beat the Orioles, hearing the Fenway crowd through the walls. Teammates have not ordered him to stay put, but he said he will "do my part."
What does the Red Sox schedule look like amid the streak?
The Red Sox entered Wednesday on a 14-game winning streak, one shy of the franchise mark set by the 1946 club. Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader against Baltimore offered a chance to tie that record, with the prior night's contest postponed.
The surge fits a larger turnaround. Boston was 12-19 and last in the division when Crochet hit the injured list; the club has been 39-29 since and tied for the American League's best record over that span. A 19-2 stretch dating to June 25 has made the Red Sox schedule appointment viewing again for a US and UK baseball audience following the buzz.
For more unexplained twists and high-stakes narratives beyond the diamond, see BlasterPost's True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries coverage.
Will Crochet pitch again in 2026?
Crochet last pitched April 25 in Baltimore. The original thought was a brief IL stay for shoulder inflammation; a late-May lat strain after live batting practice revealed how little shoulder strength he had when throwing. The club has proceeded cautiously ever since.
Over recent weeks he stopped plyometric throwing to rebuild the rotator cuff that supports the injured capsule. Asked if a season return is a toss-up, he declined to make a claim. He told the Boston Globe he wants staff to reverse-engineer a timeline toward October, knowing a full throwing buildup could take roughly six weeks once cleared—and that clearance is not imminent.
His six-year, $170 million deal also includes an arm-injury clause: 120 consecutive IL days, reached Aug. 23, would erase his 2030 opt-out and give Boston a $15 million team option for 2032. Returning before then, he said, is probably impossible. For now, the mystery is whether the ace can rejoin a streaking staff—or must keep cheering from inside.