Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox ace sidelined since April 25 with a shoulder/lat injury, began a throwing program in Boston this week. The left-hander aims to rejoin the club for the stretch run next month and potentially the playoffs, telling WEEI.com he's open to a relief role: "There's no ego about it... any way possible I can help this team achieve the goal."

Crochet pitched out of the bullpen in his first three seasons with the White Sox, then broke out as a starter in 2024 before being traded to Boston, where he finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year. A multiweek ramp-up may prevent a return to the rotation. "I don't know how many innings I'm going to be able to build up to," he said. "That's still up in the air."

Manager Chad Tracy emphasized patience: "You don't know during the course as he goes along here, how it's going to feel... there's still a lot of hurdles to climb." But Tracy acknowledged a chance exists if everything goes well: "We just got to take it one step at a time."