Red Sox facing big Garrett Crochet question for ultimate postseason luxury

The Boston Red Sox have been without Garrett Crochet for most of the 2026 MLB season, but recently he's been trending towards a return.

His return is still up in the air, but if he does end up returning to the Red Sox, it will be as a reliever, not as a starter. Crochet's return poses a huge question for the Red Sox, and it's an exciting one.

Chad Jennings of The Athletic questioned how much of an impact Crochet would have upon his return. It's a really important question, but for the Red Sox, it's not a matter of needing him to be great, but rather how much of a luxury he can provide in October.

Red Sox have big Garrett Crochet question that makes him the ultimate luxury

"How much impact can Garrett Crochet have in the bullpen?" Jennings writes. "... But as Crochet ratchets up his throwing program, one big question is just how much impact he can have down the stretch and into October."

Crochet is working his way back from injury, and while there's optimism of a return this season, how productive he'll actually be is still a big question mark.

However, from the Red Sox's perspective, this question isn't one that will decide their 2026 season outcome. Instead, it's a question of how much of a luxury they will have as the postseason begins.

This season, before landing on the injured list, Crochet had a 6.30 ERA in six starts. If he came back and pitched at a similar level, it'd be a net negative for the franchise.

However, if Crochet returns to his 2025 form, when he had a 2.59 ERA in 32 starts, or even his 2021 season when he had a 2.82 ERA in 54 games as a reliever, he could become a massive luxury for the Boston bullpen.

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Pairing him with Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, alongside their other options like Erik Miller and Tayron Guerrero, could make for an elite bullpen.

Just as the Los Angeles Dodgers utilized starting pitcher Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen last year during their World Series run, using Crochet as a high-leverage reliever could turn into a massive boon for the franchise.

If Crochet is back to his All-Star self, then the Red Sox could have one of the best pitchers in baseball coming out of the bullpen.

This Red Sox team has come back from a horrendous start to the year without Crochet. They're good enough to win a lot of games without him.

So, if Crochet can return and be an actual impactful pitcher, there's no greater luxury than that. This return from Crochet could be a massive one, but even if he's just another solid reliever, it's still a great luxury to have Crochet in their back pocket for the postseason.

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