Two years ago Kutter Crawford emerged as one of Boston’s most reliable starters. After bouncing back and forth between the rotation and bullpen throughout his first two seasons, the right-hander established himself as a workhorse, making 33 starts while throwing a career-high 183.2 innings.
But that production came at a cost.
Crawford spent nearly the entire season pitching through a knee injury, which lingered throughout the following offseason and into spring training. Crawford went on to miss the whole year, first due to the knee issue and then due to a freak wrist injury suffered in an accident at home.
Now, Crawford is looking forward to getting back on the mound and putting 2025 behind him.
“(I’m feeling) a lot better,” Crawford said at Fenway Fest. “Really good, looking forward to spring training.”
Crawford recently threw his first bullpen of the winter and is currently on a normal throwing progression. He expects to be full go when pitchers and catchers report next month and is excited for the chance to compete for a spot on the staff.
Upon his return, Crawford will find himself in a much different situation.
Two years ago the Red Sox rotation was young and untested, with Crawford, Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck leading a group that lacked any semblance of depth. But since then Boston has loaded up, with Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Bello expected to lead a staff that could rank among the game’s elite.
Instead of being a shoe-in, Crawford is now among a number of depth arms who will be competing for that fifth spot, a group that also includes newly acquired Johan Oviedo, veteran Patrick Sandoval — who like Crawford is also back after missing all of 2025 due to injury — and young up-and-comers like Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison.
Despite the much tougher competition, Crawford said he doesn’t plan to approach this spring any differently.
“Really no different than any other camp,” Crawford said. “In ’24 we were in a different spot, we were young, it was on me, Bello, Tanner, and obviously Tanner is going to miss this year with the elbow surgery, but we’re in a much better spot.”
Manager Alex Cora said Crawford should have as good a chance as anyone to earn a place in the rotation.
“We saw it two years ago, 30 starts, good fastball, good breaking ball, versatile,” Cora said at Fenway Fest. “He’s ready to compete, which is the most important thing.”
Though Crawford came up through the system as a starter and has enjoyed success in the majors, he does also have experience as a reliever and could conceivably provide a boost to the bullpen if someone else claims the fifth spot. In 17 career relief outings Crawford has posted a 3.35 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 13 walks in 37.2 innings, and he could presumably fill the same kind of multi-inning hybrid role that Garrett Whitlock has served in the past.
No matter what role he ends up getting, being back on the mound and in the thick of the action will be a refreshing change for Crawford after spending a whole season away. He said it was “weird” coming in every day, going straight to the training room and then watching his teammates play on NESN every night, and he’s excited to get back into a more familiar routine.
“I look forward to 30 days a year just letting everything out when you step on that mound, so that was the challenging part of it,” Crawford said. “But I’m really looking forward to being able to do that again this year.”
As for his expectations for 2026, Crawford said he hopes to be a workhorse again and be someone the Red Sox can rely on to take the mound every five days.
“My goal is to make 25-30 starts this year and throw 160-plus innings,” Crawford said. “Obviously I hope to throw more than that but where I’m at with my mound progression, I don’t know how aggressive we’re going to be at the beginning of the season but I definitely plan on having a good workload this year.”
