One season after being the Boston Red Sox’ most durable pitcher, Kutter Crawford’s 2025 season is probably over before ever firing a pitch.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters on Wednesday in Anaheim that the 29-year-old Okeechobee native will soon undergo right wrist surgery, which will “most likely” end his 2025 campaign.
Crawford was originally placed on the 15-day injured list in late March with right patellar tendinopathy after dealing with soreness in the patellar tendon of his right knee since the start of spring training. He was later transferred on the 60-day IL on May 15 while rehabbing the knee at the team’s spring training complex in Fort Myers.
Plans for a rehab assignment in June were halted after Crawford suffered an off-field wrist. Cora told reporters on Saturday that the right-handed pitcher flew from Fort Myers to Boston in June for an MRI.
“Kutter is going to have wrist surgery. When? We don’t know yet,” Cora said on Wednesday. “It sucks because we were talking about how deep we were in spring training and the options that we had in the starting rotation. And now it’s getting thinner and thinner.”
While he didn’t provide many specifics, Cora told reporters that the wrist injury was not due to “irresponsible” behavior.
Crawford was tied for the MLB lead last season with 33 starts for Boston. He produced a 9-16 record with 4.36 ERA and 175 strikeouts through 183 2/3 innings pitched.
Since making his Major League debut with the Red Sox on Sept. 5, 2021, Crawford has appeared in 89 games, 69 of which as a starter. He has an 18-31 career record with a 4.56 ERA.
Crawford graduated from Okeechobee High School in 2014. During his senior season, he went 7-1 on the mound while batting .340 en route to be named to TCPalm’s All-Area First Team.
The right hander later played two seasons at Indian River State College before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast University, while he would earn All-ASUN First Team honors.
Crawford was drafted by the Red Sox in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
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Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Boston Red Sox pitcher, Okeechobee native Kutter Crawford ‘most likely’ sidelined for 2025 season
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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