Red Sox Remain in Limbo With Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony

The Boston Red Sox are missing their two biggest stars still.

Apr 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are still without the services of arguably their two biggest stars. Boston has started to show some signs of life lately in the standings, but it's going to be difficult to really turn this ship around if Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony aren't with the team.

On Friday, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy had updates about both of them, as shared on X by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

"Chad Tracy says Garrett Crochet will throw a side session this weekend ahead of a live BP/simulated game early next week," Cotillo wrote. "Roman Anthony has been checked and re-checked and there's no tear, no new injury, no conspiracy. It simply remains a pain tolerance issue, per Tracy."

Garrett Crochet Breakdown

Apr 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Red Sox haven't had their ace on the mound since April 25. He was initially placed on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation. Since then, there have been updates left and right, but still no timetable for a return. On May 20, Crochet told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that his shoulder is in a "good spot" now. At the time, it was reported that he would need one more bullpen session and to face hitters multiple times before game action.

With Tracy's update on Friday, it sounds like that bullpen session will be this weekend. Then, we're on the lookout to see when he begins facing live hitters. Again, there's no timetable for return, but it sounds like there are just a few steps left in this long process.

Roman Anthony Breakdown

May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) bats against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

On top of Tracy noting that the injury hasn't gotten worse, Speier reported on Friday that his "grip strength is back."

"Roman Anthony got re-examined today, and the team remains satisfied that he continues to improve/heal (his grip strength is back to normal), but he won’t try to swing today," Speier wrote on Friday.

It has been a weird few weeks when it has come to Anthony's injury. That's not his fault. But the messaging has been a bit off. There was a point when it seemed like it would just be a few days without Anthony. Now, it's been just about three weeks without the young slugger. With Anthony out for a while, it has led to some wild speculation. So much so that president and chief executive officer Sam Kennedy shut down rumors out there that Anthony has a torn ligament in his hand.

There's still no end in sight, but it sounds like progress has been made. Now, the next step is for Anthony to swing a bat again without pain.