Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet Receives Huge Praise From AL Ace

Garrett Crochet is earning respect from his peers during a dominant season.

In just his second year as a starting pitcher, Crochet has posted a 2.23 ERA and MLB-leading 175 strikeouts atop the Boston Red Sox rotation. The 26-year-old has won each of his last five starts, so a recent opponent may have been relieved to miss him.

Crochet didn’t pitch during a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Boston also avoided rumored trade target Joe Ryan and Pablo López, who remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.

López has still watched Crochet closely this season. The 29-year-old ace praised the southpaw’s rapid ascension as a starter, per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe.

“Crochet is unbelievable,” López said. “In a funny way, it [ticks] me off how quickly he figured out starting pitching. I’ve done it my whole career. It’s not easy. He made it look like a piece of cake. Man, he’s so talented. He’s so nasty.”

López, conversely, has spent his entire big-league career in the rotation. The 2023 All-Star made 32 starts in each of the last three seasons before going on the injured list in early June with a 2.82 ERA.

The right-hander needed more time to find his footing, as López recorded a 4.76 ERA in his first two seasons with the Miami Marlins.

Crochet is making the move look easy. His stuff was never a concern after compiling 209 strikeouts in just 146 innings last season, but he’s already nearing that career-high workload with an AL-leading 141 1/3 frames in 2025.

Crochet has pitched at least six innings in 10 of his last 11 turns, including a complete-game shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays before the All-Star break. As a result, Boston could begin monitoring his volume down the stretch.

The Red Sox are giving Crochet extra rest after three straight 100-pitch outings, pushing his next scheduled start back from Friday to either Monday or Tuesday. He’ll face the Kansas City Royals instead of the Houston Astros.