Red Sox Sixth-Year Pitcher Unsure If He Will Miss Start Of Season

The Boston Red Sox have an open rotation spot, but one of the candidates fighting for it is unsure if he will miss time to start the year.

Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello seem like locks to be in the rotation. However, Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are all candidates for the Red Sox’s final rotation spot.

Crawford, who missed last season with knee and wrist injuries, seems to be behind the rest of the pack. He still has not faced batters and is unsure at this point if he will miss the start of the season.

“That I do not know,” Crawford said, according to the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey on Sunday. “That is a little bit further down the road. I kind of take it one day at a time, one week at a time, one mound session at a time. I don’t know what the plan is there.”

Crawford had a 4.36 ERA in 33 starts in 2024. He struggled with keeping the ball in the ballpark, allowing an MLB-leading 34 home runs. However, he is hoping to bounce back and play a major role this season.

Crawford may have to come out of the bullpen if he cannot get healthy enough to earn a rotation spot. However, his path back to the rotation seems difficult enough already. Oviedo, Sandoval, Early and Tolle all seem to have a leg up on him at this point, off potential alone.

Sandoval, who also missed last season, has already impressed early this spring. Alex Cora noted on Friday that he was impressed with what Sandoval did against the five batters he faced.