Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet placed on 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation

The Boston Red Sox will be without ace Garrett Crochet for the foreseeable future as he was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left shoulder inflammation.

The 26-year-old has started six games so far this season. He has a 3-3 record and a 6.30 ERA, allowing 21 earned runs in 30 innings pitched.

Eleven of those runs came on April 13 against the Minnesota Twins. In his next start against the Detroit Tigers on April 19, Crochet allowed five runs in five innings.

It looked like the lefty was getting back on track on Saturday. He went six innings, giving up just three hits over six innings while striking out seven batters as the Red Sox thumped the Baltimore Orioles, 17-1, hours before the team fired manager Alex Cora.

Instead, Crochet will miss at least his next several starts. The pitcher's IL stint is retroactive to April 26.

In a corresponding move, the Red Sox called up infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester.  

The Red Sox traded for Crochet ahead of the 2025 season, and later signed a 6-year extension worth $170 million. The move paid major dividends right away.

During his first season in Boston, Crochet was a workhorse. He went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, striking out 255 batters over 205.1 innings. His stellar campaign was good enough for an All-Star appearance and second in Cy Young voting.

The Red Sox enter Wednesday's game in Toronto with a 12-18 record, sitting in last place in the American League East.