The Boston Red Sox this season have had their fair share of injuries throughout the season, whether it’s the recent one that Connelly Early suffered or the one that’s kept Roman Anthony out for a concerning amount of time. But there have been a lot of pitchers who have been injured for a while, whether they’ve been injured this season or, in one particular case, have yet to make their debut in a Red Sox uniform. Here are updates on the following pitchers:
Garrett Crochet
Garrett Crochet started the 2026 season as Boston’s ace, as well as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. However, after a troubling start against the Minnesota Twins, there were some concerns about him. A little over two weeks later, on April 29th, he would go on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
Since then, the Red Sox rotation has surprisingly flourished. But an arm like Crochet’s is severely missed. In terms of him, though, there is no set return date. In early June, it was revealed that during the recovery process, he had acquired a left lat strain to add to the existing injury. He was subsequently shut down for two weeks and transferred to the 60-day IL.
In the most recent update last week, he was said to have been working on getting back. This past Saturday, he was said to be working with plyometric balls (heavier than a baseball by about two ounces), and while not having a solidified date to come back, he does have a couple of dates in his mind that he’d like to go, but did not reveal them.
While, as mentioned, the starting rotation is far from the reason that the Sox are struggling, getting a guy back that finished runner-up in Cy Young last year to bolster the pitching depth would be nice. Ideally, right after the All-Star break is when the expected return for Crochet should be, although an exact date is unknown.
Johan Oviedo
Johan Oviedo was acquired by the Red Sox this past offseason in exchange for Jhostynxon Garcia. He was slated to be part of the starting rotation until Early was called up last minute and took the spot. From there, he was seen as a middle reliever. However, just before the Red Sox’s home opener against the San Diego Padres, it was revealed that Oviedo had a right elbow strain and would be placed on the IL. Oviedo had been through injuries the past couple of years, with Tommy John surgery in ‘24 and a lat issue in ‘25.
He’s currently also on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain. However, he seems to be throwing now, well past the six-week timeline the Red Sox initially thought it would take. The last real update heard was that he was sent down to Florida for rehab, along with fellow pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford. But that was on June 12th. That expectation was that he’d be back by the end of June.
The Red Sox sent Johan Oviedo, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford to Florida to continue their rehabs. That opened up some much-needed locker space in a crowded Fenway home clubhouse.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) June 12, 2026
He seems to be one of the more forgotten players to the average fan because there are no real updates on him. They’re sure to come at some point, as the guess is he’s either started or getting close to starting a full rehab. But unless he gets traded soon, the real injury update timeline is unknown, although the expectation is no earlier than August, per MLB.
Patrick Sandoval
Patrick Sandoval has been one of the more unique cases. He signed with the Red Sox in December of 2024, but had torn his UCL during the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels. He missed the entire 2025 season recovering from surgery and has yet to make his Red Sox debut in 2026. However, he does seem to be rehabbing, and his time may be coming soon.
With the injuries to the pitching staff going on, Sandoval’s name has been one to keep an eye on, especially with the successful rehabs. His name has gained more traction now with the injury to Early on Tuesday night as a possible replacement (subscription required) during this time up until the break. He’s nearing the end of his rehab stint (maximum 30 days, starting June 5th), so a decision on him should be coming real soon.
His last Major League start was on June 21st, 2024, when still with the Angels. Luckily for the Red Sox, he starts on Saturday, July 4th, in Portland. That final start should give them a good gauge on whether to bring him up or not. Hopefully they do, as they need to get some worth out of the two-year, $18.5 million contract. Whether that means keeping him in the bullpen after Early comes back or shipping him off.
Tanner Houck
Houck has been an interesting name in the eyes of Red Sox Nation. In 2024, he was one of two Red Sox players to be named to the American League All-Star team, going 8-6 in the first half. Additionally, in the first half, he also threw a three-hit complete-game shutout against the Cleveland Guardians. But since then, he’s gone downhill. He finished the season with a 9-10 record, and his 2025 didn’t start any better.
He started 0-3 with an ERA of 8.04, also earning a place in MLB history that no pitcher ever wants to be. He became the first pitcher ever to have two starts in the same season where he allowed 11+ runs in three or fewer innings. After the second start, he was placed on the IL with a flexor strain.
Since then, he’s had a tough road back, eventually going through Tommy John surgery and what they called a “hybrid reconstruction of his right UCL”. He’s currently on the 60-day IL and, like Oviedo, went down to Florida in mid-June. According to the injury report, he started “light” mound work a little over a week ago at this point and is aiming for late ‘26, perhaps a September timeline.
Kutter Crawford
Crawford had essentially been shut down for the entire 2025 season, having knee soreness prior to the beginning of the season, then also getting a wrist injury while rehabbing, which caused former manager Alex Cora to shut him down for the rest of ‘25. And now he can’t catch a break. Forearm tightness moved his recovery back a bit, but he was rumored to be throwing plyos at the end of June in Florida.
Crawford’s been a tricky name to figure out. Obviously, with how the rotation is and given that he hasn’t started his rehab stints yet, there’s no chance he cracks the rotation this year as he did in ‘24. But in 2024, he started 33 games, lost 16, and gave up 34 homers (all of which led the majors). His last relief appearance was on May 31st, 2023, in which he gave up one run and walked two batters in two-thirds of an inning.
He’s a little inconsistent, and with how the bullpen seems to be struggling right now, unless the towel’s been thrown in on the season already, that’s not exactly a chance one wants the manager to take currently. They’d have to see how his rehab goes before ultimately making a decision on him.
The Last Word
As seen, there are plenty of pitchers on the injured list currently, and most of them don’t really have an exact timeline for their returns. The pitching depth that was there at the beginning is seeming to run thin, and for a team that’s going back and forth on the edge of competing and selling, that’s not an ideal place to be. It’s still somewhat early, so things could shape out right, especially if they take advantage of the stretch right after the All-Star break. But for now, only time can tell what happens with these five.
Main Photo Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
