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The Boston Red Sox were already in trouble after a bad start to the 2026 season. However, they may have just been dealt the final crushing blow.

The Boston Red Sox are off to a rough start this season. The team is 12-18 and sits at the bottom of the American League East, and that is also good for the second worst record in the AL. Boston also fired its manager Alex Cora last week, along with several other coaches.

Under interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston is 2-1, but still has not climbed out of the AL East cellar. On Wednesday, things got even worse when left-hander Garrett Crochet was placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation.

Injuries such as these are not easy to come back from, and more often than not, the recovery takes significant time. With that in mind, this could ultimately be the final nail in the coffin for the struggling Red Sox.

Garrett Crochet Injury Could Spell Doom for Red Sox

To understand just how devastating the Crochet injury is for the Red Sox, one need only look at the starting pitching stats around Major League Baseball. The Red Sox are tied for 19th in the league with 137 strikeouts as a staff. Their starters have also posted a 4.73 ERA.

Crochet himself hasn’t had his best season, as despite a strong outing on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, he has posted a 6.30 ERA. However, much of the strikeouts in Boston’s rotation come from him. He was averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season before the injury.

The early season woes could ultimately be chalked up to him simply being off to a slow start, but the fact that Crochet is now on the injured list could spell doom for the Red Sox, depending on how long he’s out with his shoulder issue.

Last season, the 27-year-old left-hander won 18 games and posted a 2.59 ERA over 32 starts and 205 1/3 innings pitched. He also struck out 255 hitters and was not only an All-Star, but second in the AL Cy Young voting.

So, there is a lot lost for the Red Sox with Crochet going on the injured list. While they still have Ranger Suarez and likely won’t be without Sonny Gray for too long, it certainly hurts to lose their ace for any amount of time.

It may be too early to judge where the team is with Tracy having just taken over for Cora as the interim manager, but Tracy has certainly been dealt a big blow with Crochet being injured, and that could hinder Boston’s chances at turning its season around.

Can Red Sox Overcome Crochet’s Injury?

With Boston’s slow start, it’s going to be tough for them to overcome Crochet’s injury. He brings a lot to the table and is the ace of the staff. Without the two-time All-Star, the rotation is more vulnerable.

If they can get back in the race, perhaps adding a starter at the trade deadline wouldn’t hurt, but right now, things are not going well for the Red Sox, and they have only gotten worse thanks to the injury.

It will be interesting to see how Boston fares in the coming weeks.