MLB Notebook: MLB Notebook: Crochet, Houck eye returns; Ohtani ailing and bizarre hat controversy

For most of the season, the Red Sox have been forced to figure out ways to survive an ever-growing list of pitching injuries.

Now, with September underway and the postseason approaching, some significant reinforcements could finally be coming back.

Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck are both making meaningful progress in their respective rehabs, raising the possibility that two pitchers Boston once envisioned near the top of its rotation could instead become late-season weapons out of the bullpen.

As the Sox look to get back Crochet, even though he'll be less than his dominant self, and Houck, right-hander Johan Oviedo isn’t far behind, either.

Crochet reached perhaps the most important checkpoint of his lengthy recovery Friday when he threw 16 pitches, all fastballs, in his first bullpen session in nearly three months.

The 27-year-old hasn’t appeared in a game since throwing six scoreless innings against Baltimore on April 25. What was initially diagnosed as left shoulder inflammation proved more troublesome than expected. Crochet began ramping up earlier this season and reached the mound in May before experiencing another setback.

“The fact that he got on the mound today and threw is a really, really good sign,” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “See how he comes in tomorrow will be an important piece of it. When he comes in tomorrow, does he feel anything, any lingering effects that are going to slow down or does he feel really good? And then you can proceed.

“But I think the fact that all the work he’s put in, the fact that he got off the mound today and threw a bullpen is a really, really good sign. And I know that doesn’t necessarily answer the question [if he will be back]. It’s hard to say at this point, but I think the fact that he’s throwing sides right now, the goal is to get him out there before the end of the season if we can, but we got more boxes to check.”

Crochet is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Tuesday if he responds well.

The calendar makes a return to Boston’s rotation unrealistic. There simply isn’t enough time to safely build Crochet back up to a starter’s workload before the end of the regular season.

The bullpen, however, is another story, and the left-hander has plenty of experience in that role from his time in Chicago.

Before transitioning to the White Sox rotation in 2024, Crochet spent his early major league career working primarily in relief. If he’s healthy enough to return later this month, a short-relief role represents the most logical path for Boston to get its ace back on the mound without rushing his workload.

Even a limited version of Crochet could give the Red Sox an intriguing weapon in October.

The left-hander finished second to Tarik Skubal in the 2025 AL Cy Young Award voting after posting a 2.59 ERA and a major league-best 255 strikeouts over 205 1/3 innings. His 2026 season didn’t go nearly as smoothly before the injury, as Crochet went 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA over six starts.

Houck is even further along after throwing two innings in a simulated game Friday in Fort Myers and, pending how he responds, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Tuesday.

Houck underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2025 and hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 12 of last season. Like Crochet, there isn’t enough time remaining to stretch him back out as a starter.

Boston instead hopes to build Houck toward a two-inning, approximately 45-pitch workload.

Before becoming a full-time starter, Houck made 33 relief appearances between 2021 and 2022. In 2022, he posted a 3.15 ERA over 32 appearances, including four starts.

Houck struggled to an 8.04 ERA over nine appearances in 2025 before undergoing surgery, but one year earlier he was an All-Star and one of the American League’s better starters. He posted a 3.12 ERA over 30 starts in 2024, striking out 154 while walking 48 over 178 2/3 innings.

“As you get beat up and you need help, having guys of that caliber of big-league talent, if you can get them there, it would be important down the stretch,” Tracy said.

Oviedo could provide another option for the Sox. 

The right-hander, acquired from Pittsburgh in December and originally part of Boston’s fifth-starter competition, has been sidelined since the beginning of the season with a right arm injury. He faced hitters Friday and is scheduled to throw a side session Tuesday.

If everything continues progressing, Oviedo could begin a minor league rehab assignment late next week.

“Oviedo also threw today [against hitters], and I think he’d be scheduled for another side on Tuesday,” Tracy said. “And then looking towards the end of next week, if everything goes well with him, he could potentially do a rehab game or something like that. All those guys threw and are trending well.”

The news isn’t as encouraging for right-handed reliever Justin Slaten.

Slaten continues to experience