Kutter Crawford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Thursday that right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee) will throw a live batting practice session on Friday. Crawford reported to extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., at the end of April as he continues to build up his arm following a knee injury that he suffered in spring training. The 29-year-old appears to be on the verge of starting a minor-league rehab assignment finally, but even so, he probably won't be an option for Boston's starting rotation until either late May or early July, barring a setback. In a career-high 33 starts for the BoSox in 2024 in his fourth year in the majors, Crawford went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA (4.65 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP with 175 strikeouts and 51 walks over 183 2/3 innings pitched. He also gave up a league-high 34 home runs. Whenever he makes his 2025 debut, Crawford will be a deep-league fantasy streamer.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee) still has not been cleared to face live hitters, according to manager Alex Cora. It's what the Red Sox expected as Crawford continues to recover from right patellar tendinopathy that he started dealing with in spring training. Crawford has thrown off a mound, but without facing live hitters yet, it's clear the 29-year-old hurler won't be making his 2025 season debut in the starting rotation in the month of April. He will most likely need to go on a minor-league rehab outing and make at least three starts before being cleared to come off the injured list. Rehabbing pitchers Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) are much closer to making their season debuts than Crawford at this point. Crawford's career-high workload of 183 2/3 innings over 33 starts in 2024 appears to have taken its toll on his body.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee), who is recovering from right patellar tendinopathy, is significantly behind Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) in his recovery. Crawford is working out in Florida but hasn't faced hitters yet and could be in line for a lengthy absence to begin the season. The 29-year-old also dealt with knee issues in 2024 and could be feeling the effects of career-high workload last year in which he threw 183 2/3 innings over 33 starts in his fourth year in the big leagues. Because he's without a timetable to return and hasn't even started throwing to hitters, it's safe to assume we won't see Crawford back in Boston's starting rotation until at least sometime in May. With Crawford, Bello and Giolito on the IL to begin the year, Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb started the year in the back end of the rotation in Beantown.