Overview
- The left-hander has resumed daily light throwing and was seen playing catch and doing flat-ground throws at Fenway on Tuesday as he moves through a cautious rehab plan.
- Crochet and interim manager Chad Tracy now expect any 2026 comeback to be as a short reliever, with Crochet estimating a max build-up of roughly two innings.
- He has not yet begun bullpen sessions or been given a timetable for a rehab assignment, so a role change to multi-inning relief is being framed as a late-season or postseason option rather than a rotation return.
- Because his injured-list stint will approach the contract’s 120-day threshold this week, team sources say that the 2030 opt-out could be voided and convert to a $15 million club option for 2032.
- Crochet’s shutdowns in late May for lat tightness and a months-long strengthening program focused on rotator-cuff work and weighted plyometric drills explain the slow ramp and underline why Boston views a limited relief role as the safest path back.