The White Sox bullpen officially got thinner, and not because of Craig Kimbrel’s departure.
Reliever Garrett Crochet confirmed Rick Hahn’s Friday report by saying he will undergo Tommy John surgery. The procedure is set to be performed on Tuesday by renowned Dr. James Andrews.
“The biggest thing will be taking my mental health very seriously the first few months, as the rehab process will be going slow,” Crochet told the media. “Said to my wife, we have to find new hobbies.’’
There is no in-game video to show Crochet’s injury that occurred on Thursday night’s game. However, the lefty hurler struck out the first batter of his appearance and was 3-1 on the next batter when he left the game. The Reds’ radio broadcast provided the most information, saying Crochet apparently spiked a ball in front of the plate and was unable to move his left arm very much on his way out of the game. Neither of these things sounded incredibly promising on the face.
Unfortunately, Crochet is not new to arm concerns. You’ll remember his rookie debut in 2020, specifically in Game 3 of the 2021 AL Wild Card against the Athletics. Crochet was dealing early, but left that game early as well, dealing with elbow soreness. Throughout the 2021 season, Crochet would never reach the same 100+ velocity readings we saw from him back in 2020.
Crochet entered the 2022 campaign as the expected replacement for Michael Kopech’s role in the bullpen: a multi-inning reliever with plus-plus stuff with the ability to eventually start ballgames. However, this injury leaves the White Sox with an additional hole to fill in their bullpen to go along with Kimbrel’s departure. Hahn has expressed that the team might not necessarily be done adding, however, Bennett Sousa, Ryan Burr, and Anderson Severino are three internal names to keep an eye on to fill the second lefty role in the White Sox bullpen.
Crochet is expected to be out until mid-2023 following the surgery, as that is usually a 13-15 month recovery window.
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