When the Red Sox opened camp last week, Kutter Crawford stood out as an immediate injury concern due to a lingering knee problem that first arose last April. The situation hasn’t much improved, as manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (multiple links) and other reporters that Crawford’s right patellar tendon is still giving him discomfort following a long-toss session on Thursday and a bullpen session yesterday.
“Opening Day, right now, is an ’if.’ Let’s see what happens,” Cora said. “[Crawford is] not feeling well. He’s behind. We’ve got to make sure the knee is good so the shoulder doesn’t suffer.”
Unfortunately for the Sox, Crawford isn’t the only pitcher facing uncertainty early in camp, as Brayan Bello has been dealing with shoulder soreness since the start of spring camp. Cora said Bello will undergo a strength test tomorrow, as the Red Sox continue to evaluate the right-hander’s status. To date, Bello has been throwing, but the team has been taking it relatively slowly with this progression, and Cora said Bello hasn’t thrown any bullpens. Between the two starters, Crawford seems to be more of a question mark than Bello, as Cora said that “with Kutter, that’s the one it looks like is going to be long.”
With over a month before Opening Day, there is plenty of time for either pitcher to still get healthy for the season in general, even if the Red Sox could be cautious in placing Crawford and/or Bello on the 15-day injured list just to provide more ramp-up time. In theory, Boston has a good deal of pitching depth on hand in the form of Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester and Michael Fulmer, so any of these arms could fill in for Crawford, Bello, or Lucas Giolito, who is still working through his rehab from an internal brace surgery from last March.
Only five proper starters will be needed in the early going, as Cora confirmed that Boston will be using a five-man rotation. Reports in January indicated that the Sox were at least thinking about a six-man staff in order to best utilize and manage its starting depth, but Cora said “we haven’t talked about a six-man. You guys have talked about it. If we go that route, it’s for a reason. For right now, we’re taking the best five and using the bullpen.”
This lines the staff up as Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Giolito if healthy enough for Opening Day, and then potentially one of the depth starters if Bello and Crawford indeed aren’t available. Plans could certainly change given Boston’s busy early schedule, as both Cotillo and Cora noted that the team plays on 19 of the regular season’s first 20 days.
The injury bug is also impacting Boston’s position players, as Wilyer Abreu has yet to start workouts due to a gastrointestinal virus. A team spokesperson told Cotillo and other reporters that Abreu received “some abnormal labs” on his illness, but the “labs have been getting better, and he’s feeling better, but they’re waiting for those to get back to a normal range before baseball activity.”
More testing is coming on Monday, Cora said, and Abreu will sit through the weekend. A timeline isn’t in place for how much time Abreu could still miss, or whether or not this absence could cost him any time on the injured list at the start of the season. Abreu is slated for another heavy role in Boston’s outfield this season, as the Gold Glover looks to build on a very successful rookie year.
What a rotation! What a lineup! What a bullpen! What a trainwreck! Can’t wait to watch Breslow’s Follies and Trainwreck go hurtling off the rails around and about early June:)
Least they have third base covered
Since Boston invented a lot of cool things in America like colonial adventure crafting, the tea party, and dysfunctional family black comedies where they all talk funny, maybe they can solve the position conundrum by simply adding a fifth position on the diamond: fourth bass. Just outfit Devers with an Itty bitty end table, nite light and a sippy cup and he can play the field there. There. Now everyone’s happy. Like Oprah’s audience.
Point God.
Unlike the Yankees, with DJ and the Oswalds, lol
What a pathetic Yankees troll!
If it makes you feel better, we NY fans hate these trolls, too.
Yeah would think many Yankee fans while a bit uncouth, would have better things to do on a random cold Feb than troll their little brother. More likely someone not even invited to the family picnic. Maybe they’re Oriole trolls? Or Philly?
Just love the trolling like where are the Sox fans mentioning Stanton’s already hurt, how the Yankees don’t have anyone to play third and their supposed outfield defense has a guy in left who looked absolutely lost last year. oh here I am. lol. It’s spring training and every team has similar issues.
Well, he has SOME merit. Red Sox have a lot to prove
Take a pill.
8 days into spring training and already throwing in the towel?…
Rsox – Exactly!
It’s the equivalent of taking a guy’s job away just one year into a 10-year contract.
Keep dreamin if this is the worst they will be fine
If they do manage to stay healthy, I firmly believe this Red Sox pitching staff will be Top 3 in baseball (in both SP & Bullpen ERA), with the AL CY going to Crochet or Buehler.
People are quick to forget that Buehler is only 3 years removed from one of the best SP seasons of the last decade (better than the career best years from both big ticket free agents of Fried and Burnes) – and that’s a much shorter gap of time than Sale had between Cy Young awards before his 2024 comeback. Buehler flashed that upside again in the 2024 postseason and has a major chip on his shoulder, much like Sale last year.
Crochet is currently a close 2nd favorite behind Skubal in the Vegas odds for 2025 AL CY, with considerably better odds than both Cole and Fried…
But sure, just a bunch of trainwreck bums
You’ve gotta understand. To have those 3 go through the 2025 season without multiple injuries is a big ask. Wonder what the Vegas odds are on them all making every start. Not going to happen.
Crochet has a very legitimate shot at a Cy Young in the near future.
Hank – If he can stay healthy and put up a solid 180+ innings.
That’s far from a given.
You’re talking Cy Young and Crochet has barely even pitched 100 innings in a full season…
Crochet made 32 starts and pitched 146 innings last year with the White Sox limiting his innings. Hopefully, he can pitch 180-200 innings this year.
It’s Feb 22 you alarmist weirdo.
There we go! Lots of fans tried before you, but you hit on the exact right tone to reply to that comment. Kudos.
They need to rip off the bandaid and get that knee surgically fixed up, the right way, before it becomes an E-rod level lingering problem.
Since when is tendinitis in a knee something that requires a surgical fix?
A year’s worth of untreated tendinitis? I don’t think it’s as simple as just a mildly irritated tendon.
I’d bet there were some bone spurs that developed that create issues, or some tendon sheath issues, or something more – and for a variety of reasons ranging from leverage to hippa you don’t know the full story
So you’re going to guess you know what’s going on and jump right to “schedule him for surgery” without any tests? How about maybe an MRI first and determine whether or not there actually is an issue that may require surgery before declaring a player should undergo something like that?
Obviously there would be testing to determine the issues. But the answer after the problem persisted this long likely isn’t rest and therapy.
Plus, the body has a nasty habit of growing unwanted biomass as a matter of course with persistent issues like that – thus my mentions of bone spurs, and, scar-like tissue around the tendon sheath areas. These are things I’ve seen countless times within medical reports and are a biological fact.
The red sox staff have a long history of waiting excessive time to address things in their pitching staff, whether it’s the afore mentioned erod, or it was sale, or others.
GaSox – Many years ago I had trauma to my left knee that caused tendinitis. I was limping for a year, and it never did fully go away.
When tendinitis persists this long without recovering, there is something wrong. I hesitate to guess at specifics, though. Maybe an MRI will shed light? Maybe they’ve already done one?
KingKen, tendinitis can simply be mild and chronic. I have that with both Achilles tendons, no real injury but the dang things won’t return to being pain free. It’s all about symptom management, which for me isn’t an issue because it’s more just an awareness thing and something that only holds me back because I have no reason to push it.
Surely he’s had a battery of examinations, and if no surgery has been advised that probably just isn’t something that’s on the table.
Worst case, if the Red Sox really need to, they can sign someone like Quintana or Gibson and have the rotation taken care of. Either way, Red Sox are going to be a very good team in 2025. The few times I watched them last year, they were terrific, putting the ball in play, making the defense make mistakes, the base-stealing, it was a fun time!
The Red Sox may be decent but I would not say “very good.” Crochet, for starters, has never been a season long starter nor has he pitched in pressure situations. He has a lot to prove.
Crochet is dominant and has very little to prove. Pressure situations will not be a problem for him.
Therealeman, they were already “decent” last year, and without turning to the big names in the minor league system. Even just one that basis, they have a good chance at being something better than last year, and that’s not counting the various additions (I meant, Bregman is nothing if not high floor). Obviously they have to prove out “very good”, but to say they “may” only be decent is pretty silly.
Did you even read the article regarding the overall health of your pitching staff….seems like a MASH unit to start off the Spring and who knows what else may develop once Spring really gets into gear with workouts, throwing, and actual games…..don’t want to be a downer, but you Sox fans touting how they’ll be a very good team in 2025….this season isn’t starting off so well…and remember…until minor league ballplayers are up for several months of the season, and get a change to play, they are still full of potential….which isn’t actual results.
Rocky – the more serious sox fans know there’s a HUGE amount of variables on this seasons roster. I’d say there’s no less than 9 major contributors on a knifes edge between making massive positive impact and being flops.
Statistically you’d say they’re bound to have a decent number fall their way, which, is enough when layered over 2024’s performances to expect improvement, and, thus playoff potential.
Time will tell
“this season isn’t starting off so well”
It’s February 22 you weirdo.
Rocky I know you’re a Yankee fan but Narvaez looked really good behind the dish not sure if he can hit at all but who cares if he can catch like that. Was he that good defensively for the Yankees any opinion on him?
He came with a good defensive rep.
Bruin – I didn’t watch the game today, but didn’t Narvaez have a Passed Ball in just 4 innings of work? What happened there?
Obviously hitting and pitching in ST should be taken with a grain of salt, but no excuse for poor defense.
Honestly I watched nearly every pitch and I don’t remember anything that could be construed as a passed ball but perhaps I missed it grabbing a beer or something. What I did notice he threw out one base stealer and should have thrown out another if Hamilton doesn’t drop the ball. He’s good behind the plate real good from what I saw smooth not jerky really good framer.
The Sox have enough depth pieces to weather this, but it means that Giolito, Buehler and Crochet need to stay healthy and pitch at the top of their game.
An embarrassment of rags
yankee fan here who doesn’t understand why sox fans aren’t completely hyped for this season. there’s a wide range of outcomes but a legit chance you win the division. most intriguing team in the sport to me
Many Sox fans have elevated complaining about the team to the level of a sport in and of itself in recent years. Some are finding it hard to let go of that and actually consider the possibility of the team having a good year.
dasit – There’s a whole bunch of key players trying to return from injury, that’s what is tempering Red Sox Nation’s enthusiasm.
Me personally, I’m always optimistic this time of year. If the Sox can stay healthy they definitely have a shot at the division title. Just imagine a healthy Devers, Casas, Yoshida, Story, Hendriks, Whitlock, Walker, Crochet and Giolito. Could be good times this year.
It’s that wonderful time of the year when injuries mount and fans curse. How brio and hope can shatter to pieces over the course of two days!
The reality is this team has depth in pitching this year. Breslow has worked hard to address this and Fitts, Priester, Criswell are legit depth this season. After them there’s Dobbins, Fulmer, and maybe Drohan who looked sharp in his two innings today.
There’s more Sandlin looks good it sounds like and Connelly Early after a lot of off-season work is throwing 95-97. If this is true then Early’s ceiling is much higher at least a mid rotation guy but with his quality secondaries potentially higher than that. I think the pitching for Boston will be fine and is in better shape to handle a few injuries than in the past.
That’s good news about Early. He is big enough that he should have a good fastball.
Rafaela took a walk today something he didn’t do in the last month in a half of last season. He can be a star if he can stop chasing he looks physically in great shape obviously did a lot of work this off-season.
It’s not even just that he took the BB but how the PA played out that’s encouraging. He jumped ahead 3-0, took a pitch on 3-0 (obviously a take sign from the dugout), swung at the next pitch and fouled it off for strike 2 and then took a close pitch but not a strike for the BB. Last year a pitch that close to the zone on 3-2 was an automatic swing from him.
Plus a lot of people overlook how demanding mentally last season was for him defensively. He started ocer 70
Oops. Started over 70 games at SS and ober 70 in CF. That’s not easy for anyone to do, especially not a rookie. Being able to simply play CF this year will allow him more mental energy to be devoted to working on his offense.
Ken – I totally agree! Now can you tell Cora that?
This is exactly what I’ve been saying, instead of having players bounce around all over the place just let them focus on one position so they can be really good at it.
That goes for Campbell too, if he makes the team over Grissom and Bregman is at 3B then let Campbell settle into 2B.
Nothing to see here. Bello is sore, but throwing, Abreu has the squirts, Kutter needs rest and Gio is on schedule.
Cedanne hit a big bomb today. Keep that confidence growing.
I have big hopes Rafaela is only going to get better.
swan – Agreed! Maybe Rafaela can be the ST batting champ like Darren Lewis was.
And… here we go again.
They should fix Abreu’s knee, run an outfield of Anthony, Raffaella, and Duran. Use Yoshida as a 4th OF and put Devers as DH. Yoshida rides the bench. That’s an easy fix
Pitching is all about depth, it’s better to find out what the depth pieces have in April than guessing in July and August.
Well Abreu doesn’t have a knee problem Crawford the pitcher does. Abreu has a stomach illness and will be back soon but thanks for praying nonetheless.