It may only be spring training, but if Wednesday’s performance was any indication, Red Sox fans are going to enjoy watching Garrett Crochet pitch this season.
The 25-year-old left-hander has been exactly as advertised since his arrival this past December, and Wednesday he delivered his best outing yet, striking out seven over three scoreless innings in Boston’s 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Crochet struck out the side in the first, sent down another batter in the second and wrapped up his day by striking out all three batters he faced in the top of the third. He worked around two hits and a walk, and though the JetBlue Park radar gun was reportedly somewhat unreliable, at one point Crochet registered 101 mph on the stadium video board, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Crochet's velo readings are all over the place on his fastball… seen 96, 97, 99 on the sinker, and the 101 fastball. (92 mph pitches are getting mislabeled as fastballs – presumably, those are cutters.) But if the 101 is accurate, then it's harder than any regular season pitch he threw in 2024.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier.bsky.social) 2025-03-05T18:28:30.549Z
Overall Crochet has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts through his first three starts this spring, and while he’s also walked five and allowed six hits, the dominance he showed last season with the Chicago White Sox has been fully on display.
Though manager Alex Cora has not yet announced an opening-day starter, Crochet certainly looks like he’ll be getting the ball March 27 against the Rangers.
Chapman dominates
Several of Boston’s top closer candidates took the mound following Crochet, with Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendriks each pitching one inning. Chapman had the better day, posting a 1-2-3 top of the fourth with one strikeout. Hendriks came on in the fifth and allowed one run on four hits, including an RBI single by Eloy Jimenez with the bases loaded.
Justin Wilson also allowed one run over one inning with a walk and a hit, Brennan Bernardino posted a scoreless seventh, Greg Weissert a scoreless eighth and Wyatt Mills a scoreless ninth to close things out.
Yoshida’s big day
Masataka Yoshida led the way at the plate by going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. He keyed a two-run rally in the bottom of the fifth with his go-ahead RBI single, and came around to score on David Hamilton’s subsequent RBI single, which put the Red Sox up 3-1.
Alex Bregman went 1 for 2 with a triple and a walk, and Trevor Story went 1 for 3 to raise his spring batting average to .412.
Thompson keeps rolling
Every year there is a non-roster invitee who makes the most of their opportunity, and this year that has been outfielder Trayce Thompson. The seven-year MLB veteran has been on fire this spring, and Wednesday he kept up his momentum by going 1 for 2 with an RBI double.
Thompson leads the Red Sox with three home runs and five extra-base hits. Prior to signing with the Red Sox on a minor league deal this winter, Thompson spent all of last year in Triple-A with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. The 34-year-old last played in the majors in 2023, splitting time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.
Bleis gets a shot
Fans at JetBlue Park got an intriguing look at Miguel Bleis, one of Boston’s top recent international signings. The 21-year-old outfielder ranks as Boston’s No. 9 prospect and subbed into Wednesday’s game at center field in the sixth inning. Bleis made the most of his time on the big field, going 1 for 1 with a base hit in the seventh, though he was also subsequently caught stealing second.
Another minor leaguer who made his mark was Andy Lugo, who drove in Boston’s final run with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth.
Abreu optimistic
Wilyer Abreu has yet to appear in a game since missing the first couple of weeks of spring training with a viral gastrointestinal illness, but the second-year outfielder told reporters on Wednesday he expects to be ready for Opening Day.
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be enough time for sure,” Abreu told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I still have a few weeks left to get ready for Opening Day and I don’t see that being a problem. I think I have sufficient time.”
Abreu isn’t the only one who has dealt with a bug recently. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Triston Casas, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Romy Gonzalez have all been waylaid by an illness working its way around the clubhouse. Ceddanne Rafaela is also battling hamstring tightness, and Rafael Devers is still working on his swing timing as he ramps up following an offseason of rest.
One Red Sox player making progress is Lucas Giolito. The right-hander has completed his recovery from last spring’s internal brace surgery, and he said on Wednesday’s WEEI game broadcast that his last live batting practice session will be on Thursday.
Barring any setbacks, Giolito will presumably make his Grapefruit League debut at some point in the coming days.
Coming up next
The Red Sox will hit the road again on Thursday, heading over to Dunedin to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Tanner Houck is scheduled to start against Blue Jays’ right-hander Chris Bassitt, and Cooper Criswell, Zack Kelly and Austin Adams are also slated to take the mound for Boston.
First pitch is at 1:07 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN, NESN 360 and WEEI 850 AM.