BOSTON — Nearly two months after landing on the injured list with shoulder fatigue, Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is trying to find silver linings — and remaining hopeful he’ll be back in the team’s rotation relatively soon.
Speaking at his locker at Fenway Park on Friday, Crochet said he’s not concerned that there’s anything more serious than anticipated going on with his shoulder after a recent strength test showed that his strength had not improved enough for him to restart a throwing program. Instead, Crochet said, it’s a matter of following protocols and making sure he’s good to go after a mild lat strain interrupted his progress as he ramped up late last month.
Crochet has been throwing with plyometric (lighter) ***** but has not played catch with a baseball since throwing a one-inning live batting practice session on May 26, then being shut down with lat issues a few days later. He hopes he takes that step soon.
“I hope to have a ball — a real baseball — in my hand here soon,“ Crochet said. ”The plyos that I’m doing, though, are not far off. I’m throwing seven ounces, so it’s not like I’m afraid to get close to baseball weight. It’s moreso just the protocol.
“Just still just throwing plyos, doing a lot of (isometric) work. When the team was on the road and I stayed back, I made some good headway. Been trending up for a while. I think that let setback is making us be extra cautious this time, naturally. Just in that situation where it’s like, wait until you feel great, then wait a couple more days.”