FORT MYERS, Fla. — With less than two weeks until Opening Day, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora officially announced Garrett Crochet as his starter for the first game in Texas.
Though there had been some speculation Cora would tab Tanner Houck for the first game since Houck led the staff last season and earned his first All-Star appearance, Houck is in line for the second game with Walker Buehler pitching the third.
“I talked to Tanner, he was our best starter last year, he was an All-Star, and he just said, ‘Give me the ball whenever.’ That’s just who he is,” Cora said when asked why he went with Crochet first.
The 25-year-old lefty has not allowed a run over his first three spring starts, walking five and striking out 14 in 6 1/3 innings. He’s set for two more starts before March 27 in Texas.
“There’s a reason we got him here,” Cora said. “We envision him as a true No. 1, to be determined in a way, right? But we truly believe that where we’re at as an organization and what he represents, it will be good for him to make the first pitch of the season.”
Crochet appreciated the opportunity but also didn’t want to read too much into the start.
“Not to downplay it, but it’s just another start,” Crochet said. “It was just a matter of when my first one was gonna be. It happens to be Opening Day, and I’m really excited about that, and I hope to shoulder all the responsibilities that come with it with pride and just lead this team.”
With Buehler lined up for the third start of the season, it means he’s also lined up to start the home opener April 4 at Fenway Park when the Red Sox return to Boston after seven games on the road to start the season.
“We needed to improve our rotation, and we did that with two guys,” Cora said of Crochet and Buehler.
“They’re really good at what they do in different ways,” Cora said. “You look around the league and (Crochet is) one of the elite arms in the major leagues, he truly is. The way he handles the clubhouse and has jelled with the group has been fun to watch. (Buehler), all he knows is pitching in October, and he’s going to be a big part of us.”
The additions of Crochet and Buehler undoubtedly strengthen the Red Sox staff even more so with injuries at the back end of the rotation.
The remaining two rotation spots are up for grabs with Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) expected to miss the early part of April and Kutter Crawford (knee) further behind. Giolito will be reassessed early next week and could miss minimal time. Bello is scheduled for two innings in a minor-league game Monday but has yet to start a big-league game. Crawford had an MRI on his knee recently that showed no structural damage, and he has started to ramp up his throwing progression. He’s set for bullpens Monday and Friday next week.
“Obviously, we’re a little down,” Cora said. “We’re getting tested right away without Gio, Kutter and Bello, but we have capable guys.”
Among those in the mix for the final two spots are Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Cooper Criswell, Sean Newcomb and Michael Fulmer.
Fitts threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings Friday in Jupiter, allowing one hit and striking out four. He got a 97 mph called third strike on his final batter in the fifth, throwing 50 pitches, 35 for strikes. He’s allowed one run over 10 2/3 innings this spring, striking out 14 and walking four.
Cora acknowledged with the way Fitts has pitched this spring, he’s separated himself for one of those spots, though he hasn’t made it official.
Priester is also in the mix, but had a rough outing Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts in the Red Sox loss to the Atlanta Braves 7-3.
“Frustrated, need to be better,” Priester said after the start. “My whole goal this spring was to get better with every start. I think I was doing that, but today was definitely not that.”
“The stuff is there,” Cora said. “We just have to make better pitches with two strikes.”
Rafael Devers, Wilyer Abreu make spring debuts
Rafael Devers and Wilyer Abreu appeared in their first games this spring, facing Braves starter Chris Sale.
Devers served as designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, flyout to center, and grounded into a force out. Abreu played five innings in right field and grounded out and lined out to first in two at-bats.
Devers had yet to appear in a game as he built up repetitions swinging, after an offseason rehabbing his shoulders. He had appeared in several minor-league games and live batting practices, but Saturday’s marked his first game.
Cora was pleased with the at-bats from both players and said each will play on the backfields Sunday to get extra at-bats, then return to the lineup Monday.
“The adrenaline comes into play, and we have talked about it,” Cora said. “Devers has been good in the backfields. Sometimes he’s not happy with the results. You concentrate more on the little things on the details of your swing and your takes and all that. (In the big field), you compete. And I think two weeks of competition is going to benefit him. I had no doubt he was going to be ready for Texas.”
As for Abreu, he appeared in his first game after dealing with a virus all spring. Even after the virus subsided, his lab work came back with elevated levels of the virus still in his system until this week when he was finally cleared to play. Cora said he was getting worried Abreu might miss the start of the season but is more optimistic he’ll be ready for Texas.
“Felt really good to be out there, feel really excited to be back out there,” Abreu said through interpreter Daveson Perez.
“I think I’ll need more reps, but I think I’ll be ready for Opening Day,” he said.
It’s important for Abreu to face big-league pitching, but more important to get his timing down at the plate, and because of that he’ll play in a minor-league game Sunday when he can get seven or eight at-bats by hitting for each side.
“We’ve got a lot of ways for him to catch up offensively,” Cora added. “We know what he brings to the equation, not only defensively, but offensively, it’s a left-handed bat that can impact the ball. But he worked on a few things in the offseason now, hopefully, it can translate in the upcoming weeks, and then we’ll decide what we do.”
Abreu lost weight during the illness but said he feels good now and is focused on the future.
“It was difficult, but the most important thing is my health, and I knew if I can get back to 100 percent that would be the best thing for me, so I can give it my all of me on the field,” he said.
“The weight is not the most important thing,” he added. “The most important thing is I feel good and strong and that I can play the way I can.”
We’d recognize that twisting wind-up anywhere 🥹
Chris Sale opened the game with a nod to Red Sox legend Luis Tiant ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UgLVgkcqol
— NESN (@NESN) March 15, 2025
Chris Sale pays homage to Luis Tiant
Sale allowed two runs on four hits and struck out nine over six innings. The two runs Sale allowed were on solo home runs from Triston Casas and Alex Bregman.
On his first pitch of the game, Sale made a familiar motion on the mound. He raised his hands and glove above his head, turned around toward the second-base bag, then wound back around to fire his first pitch. It was an homage to Red Sox legend Luis Tiant, who died recently. Tiant was a fixture in Red Sox spring training and became a familiar and friendly face for Sale. Sale told reporters he’d been thinking about mimicking Tiant in this start against the Red Sox for a while because Tiant meant a lot to him when Sale pitched for the Red Sox.
(Photo of Garrett Crochet in February: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
