Red Sox Push Garrett Crochet Back a Day in Step Toward Opening Day

Things are starting to get very real ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

The Red Sox will kick off the 2026 campaign on March 26 against the Cincinnati Reds and Garrett Crochet is going to be on the mound. Boston manager Alex Cora got out ahead of the conversation back in early February and announced Crochet as the team's obvious Opening Day starter.

With under two weeks to go until Opening Day, the Red Sox are getting the schedule in order for Crochet to be on the mound on March 26. Crochet was scheduled to start on Sunday, but MassLive.com's Christopher Smith noted that he will pitch in a minor league game on Monday instead to get him lined up for Opening Day.

The Red Sox hurler will pitch on Monday

Feb 26, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"Garrett Crochet won’t pitch today. He’s going to pitch in a minor league game tomorrow instead. Red Sox just lining up the schedule for him on Opening Day and first month of the season, etc," Smith wrote.

Garrett Crochet won’t pitch today. He’s going to pitch in a minor league game tomorrow instead. Red Sox just lining up the schedule for him on Opening Day and first month of the season, etc
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) March 15, 2026

Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted that the change was necessary to get things lined up, as transcribed by Smith.

"We have to rearrange a few things schedule-wise and kind of like lining up things for not only for him, but the whole group for Cincinnati," Cora said, as transcribed by Smith. "So instead of pitching today, he’s pitching tomorrow. Seventy-five pitches in a Triple-A game here."

Boston's rotation arguably is the best in baseball on paper. Crochet finished second in the race for the 2025 AL Cy Young Award behind Tarik Skubal. After him, the Red Sox will roll with Sonny Gray with the No. 2 spot, as shared by Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. After Crochet and Gray, the Red Sox have Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello, although it's unclear exactly which number they are in the rotation. Then, Johan Oviedo seemingly is in line to be the team's No. 5 job.

It's been a long time since regular-season baseball action. Finally, we're under two weeks away. We're so close that now the club has to think about specific pitching days in order to be ready for the season. Baseball is finally right around the corner.