Five weeks ago, the potential returns of Roman Anthony to the lineup and Garrett Crochet to the starting rotation felt largely meaningless in a Red Sox season that was spiraling toward a last-place finish.
A 28-5 stretch and an aggressive trade deadline from the front office, though, have changed that outlook significantly.
With that in mind, interim manager Chad Tracy was asked some questions about Boston’s injured list ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park. And though neither Crochet nor Anthony is close to a return, the updates were positive.
Roman Anthony
Anthony hasn’t played since May 4, with a torn finger tendon causing multiple setbacks. The team sent Anthony to Fort Myers in early July to continue his rehab work.
Tracy said that Anthony started to take batting practice on Tuesday, which represents a progression.
“Roman continues to swing. Today he actually took overhand BP in the cage, which is another step in the right direction,” Tracy said. “So we’re kind of like, you’re in phases with this. Early on, it was tee and flips, which he managed well. He had BP today for the first time, it’s a scheduled recovery day tomorrow, and then get back to overhand BP again. So we’ll keep him in this phase now and see how he responds to that, and then hopefully, advance him past that. But he’s doing well.”
Tracy indicated that there are still several steps awaiting Anthony, with an increase in velocity from a pitching machine being next in line, and that a timetable for a return can’t yet be established.
“I think you’re still in the phase of introducing new things to him and make sure that you clear those and nothing pops up with the hand,” Tracy said. “Now, how long all that takes, I don’t know the answer to that yet. But as long as he’s feeling good, we can keep moving him along.”
Garrett Crochet
The last time Crochet spoke to the media, the outlook was not too good, as he couldn’t answer one way or the other if he’d be able to pitch at all this season.
Crochet may still not have the answer to that all-important question, but Tracy shared that the left-hander has resumed throwing.
“Garrett started throwing yesterday [from] 50, 60 feet. As you guys know, he’s been down a while, so we’re in the very infant stages of very short [distances]. But he did have a ball in his hand and was throwing it, which is good,” Tracy said. “So he’s probably going to be in that really short range throwing right now, and then we’ll move him along as he goes. But he does have a ball in his hand, throwing it, which is good.”
The clock is obviously ticking on Crochet being able to build up to a point where he can pitch in the majors this season, but Tracy said it’s possible.
“Yeah, he’s got a chance. For sure,” Tracy said. “There’s still a lot of hurdles to climb but the fact that he has a ball in his hand and is trying, if everything goes well, certainly there is a chance. But we just gotta take it one step at a time and see how he feels as he goes along.”
Adley Rutschman
The Red Sox sent away three of their five top prospects to acquire Adley Rutschman on Monday, so it stands to reason that the team was very comfortable with Rutschman’s injury status before doing so.
Rutschman was placed on the IL on July 20 due to left wrist inflammation and didn’t return prior to the trade deadline. Rutschman confirmed that he’s begun swinging, though neither he nor Tracy offered any timeline for a Red Sox debut.
“It’s been feeling good. Gotta get with the medical staff here and kind of just see what the next steps are moving forward, but it’s been feeling good,” Rutschman said.
Tracy said that Rutschman is “creeping closer” to being able to play.
Trevor Story
The veteran shortstop hasn’t played since May 14 due to a sports hernia, which required surgery. This will be an important week in his rehab, according to Tracy.
“We’re getting closer,” Tracy said. “I know last update was he continues to do all the work that he has been doing: fielding, throwing, running, has increased the lateral mobility aspect of it with more intensity. So he continues to track very well and we’ll just continue to track him during the course of this week and see where he’s at as we get toward the end of this homestand and we’ll go from there.”
Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Triston Casas
Tracy said that Tanner Houck, who hasn’t pitched at all this year and made just nine appearances last year, is making progress.
“Houck is still doing very well and he’s in that mode right now where he’s still doing multiple bullpens a week, up to 40-plus pitches,” Tracy shared. “So he’s creeping closer to facing hitters of some kind. I don’t know when that’s going to be yet or if it’s going to be live BP or — probably a live BP first. Not there yet, but creeping closer.”
Kutter Crawford, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2024 and had his lone rehab appearance in 2026 cut short, remains “a ways off” from making positive progress toward pitching again. And Triston Casas, who hasn’t played since May of 2025, is “still navigating the wrist,” according to Tracy.
