Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck making progress in rehab, Red Sox targeting returns

Both of Boston's injured starting pitchers are trending the right way. MLB.com's Ian Browne reports that Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck are each making good progress in their respective rehabs and working toward a return for the Red Sox — welcome news for a club sitting 84-71 and clinging to a Wild Card position with the calendar deep into September.

What happened

Per Ian Browne at MLB.com, Crochet and Houck are both making progress in their injury rehabs and moving toward a return. The club has not announced a specific timetable for either pitcher, and the report carries a degree of uncertainty — the confidence on both items reflects that these are encouraging signs, not a scheduled activation date. Progress in a rehab and a return to the mound are two different things, and the Red Sox have not bridged that gap publicly.

Why it matters

Boston's rotation has been navigating a compressed and complicated final stretch, and the potential return of two starting pitchers — even in a limited capacity — carries real operational weight. The Red Sox are 84-71, ranked 2nd in the Wild Card standings at +5.0 relative to the cut line, and have already been eliminated from the AL East division race. What remains is a Wild Card berth, and the margin for error in the rotation shrinks considerably when you're managing a bullpen that has its own injury concerns.

A week removed from the news that reliever Justin Slaten is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season after a PRP injection for degenerative changes in his flexor mass, the Red Sox bullpen has been absorbing additional workload. Aroldis Chapman was also reported day-to-day with lat tightness, per earlier coverage, adding another layer of uncertainty to the relief corps. In that context, the possibility of Crochet or Houck returning to eat innings — even in a stretched or piggyback role — matters more than it might in a healthier September.

Under general league rules, pitchers on the injured list are eligible for rehab assignments of up to 30 days before a club must activate them or make another roster decision. Whether either pitcher is currently on a rehab assignment, or how far along that process might be, has not been reported.

Where the club stands

Boston's record stands at 84-71 (.542), good for 3rd place in the AL East — 10.5 games back in the division — but 2nd in the Wild Card race with a +5.0 cushion over the cut line. The Red Sox enter Sunday having dropped their most recent game, carrying a one-game losing streak into a road date at Tampa Bay.

Is there a playoff spot to play for?

Yes — and it is the only one left. With the division mathematically out of reach, Boston's entire postseason case rests on that Wild Card position. The +5.0 margin over the cut line is meaningful but not comfortable, and the schedule ahead is not a formality.

Sunday, September 20 sends the Red Sox to Tropicana Field, where Patrick Sandoval is the probable starter against Griffin Jax for Tampa Bay. Then the club returns to Fenway Park for back-to-back games against the Cleveland Guardians on September 22 and September 23. Cleveland is a club that will be playing meaningful baseball of its own, which makes those home games something other than a victory lap.

The broader roster picture has been eventful. Trevor Story hit a go-ahead 3-run home run in the 8th inning against Texas after returning from a sports hernia IL stint, and has posted an .867 OPS across 16 games since his activation, per earlier reporting. That kind of production from a returning player is exactly the template Boston would hope Crochet or Houck might follow — though the desk will note that pitching rehabs and position-player rehabs operate on different timelines and carry different variables.

Interim manager Chad Tracy publicly acknowledged last week that he is weighing Triple-A speedster Braiden Ward for the playoff roster as a pinch-runner specialist, a conversation that signals the club is already thinking carefully about how to construct a postseason roster. The return of one or both starting pitchers would reshape those conversations considerably.

What we don't know yet

Ian Browne's report establishes that both Crochet and Houck are making progress — it does not establish when either pitcher might be ready to appear in a game, what role they would fill upon return, or whether either is currently on a formal rehab assignment. The confidence level on both items reflects that this is a positive directional signal, not a scheduled event.

It is also unclear how the club would deploy either pitcher if they do return before the end of the regular season. With September rosters expanded to 28 players, Boston has roster flexibility that did not exist in August. Whether that flexibility gets used to bring back one or both starters — and in what capacity — remains an open question.

The Willson Contreras situation adds another variable. Contreras was reported day-to-day after being hit by a pitch on the hand, with X-rays coming back negative but his hand remaining very sore, casting doubt on his availability. A catcher's health affects how a pitching staff is managed, and that ripple effect is worth tracking alongside the Crochet and Houck updates.

What to watch

The most direct thing to monitor is any formal rehab assignment news for either Crochet or Houck. A rehab appearance at any level would be the clearest signal that a return is genuinely imminent rather than aspirationally possible. The Red Sox have not announced that step for either pitcher.

Beyond that, watch how Boston manages its rotation over the next week. The Guardians series at Fenway starting September 22 arrives at a moment when the Wild Card cushion is real but not insurmountable, and the club's rotation decisions in those games will reflect how confident the front office actually is about what's coming back. Progress is good. Innings are better.