Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Boston Red Sox are off to a disappointing 6-10 start in 2026, raising pressure on their pitching rotation.
- Garrett Crochet struggled mightily in a recent outing against the Minnesota Twins, failing to escape the second inning.
- The team now faces critical questions about managing the workload of Crochet, who led MLB in strikeouts the previous season.
Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet had a nightmare start against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. The All-Star lefty did not make it out of the second inning, ending his night with a horrific line. Crochet surrendered 10 earned runs on nine hits across 1.2 innings.
In most scenarios, the most logical reaction to Crochet's struggles (especially after his 2025 season) would be "it's no big deal, it's one bad start." We know this is not the thought process of the Boston fan base who has a tendency to panic rather quickly. However, any concerns they may have over Crochet may actually be warranted.
Potential fatigue from Garrett Crochet raises concern
It is important to remember that Crochet began his MLB as a flame-throwing reliever for the Chicago White Sox. It was not until the 2024 season when the southpaw made the transition from the bullpen to the rotation. He made his first All-Star game appearance that season and improved his trade value, ultimately ending up with Boston a season ago.
In his first year with the Red Sox, Crochet impressed by leading the American League in innings pitched (205.1) and the entire MLB in strikeouts (255). It seemed obvious that Boston had found a gem to place at the top of their starting rotation. Now, it appears we may already be seeing the long-term effects of last season in 2026.
On Monday, it was obvious that his fastball had lost velocity and his breaking stuff was not quite as sharp as we are used to seeing. Hitters most certainly took advantage of Crochet's struggles. No offense to the Twins, but if they are capable of putting up numbers like this against Crochet, what happens against a true playoff contending team?
We have seen starters have games like this where velocity dips and it turns out that they were just sick or some other injury we didn't know about was preventing them from reaching their full potential. In Crochet's case, it feels obvious that the underlying issue here is simply fatigue given the amount of innings he has pitched over the last couple seasons.
The Red Sox are now an underwhelming 6-10 on the season and originally expected to win the majority of Crochet's starts in 2026. With what feels like a difficult situation to resolve in a timely manner, Boston should be weighing their options to adjust to a world without Crochet, or at the very least where he is far from an ace.
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