Kutter Crawford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reports that Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee) is throwing a bullpen session at camp on Friday as he manages a bit of knee soreness this spring. Crawford is a bit behind Boston's other pitchers while managing some patellar-tendon soreness in his knee, but as long as he doesn't have any kind of setback, he has plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day at the end of March. The 28-year-old had a league-high 16 losses in his fourth season with the Red Sox last year and also posted a 4.36 ERA (4.65 FIP), 1.12 WHIP and 175:51 K:BB in 183 2/3 innings over his 33 starts. Crawford also led baseball by allowing 34 home runs. The career-high workload probably led to his career-high 36.3% hard-hit rate and regression in strikeout rate (23.1%). If he's healthy, he'll be in the starting rotation and will be a depth arm in deeper fantasy formats.

According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford (knee) is dealing with knee soreness. Crawford noted that he first injured this knee during his third start of last season but was able to play through it. However, this was a reason why his velocity dipped at times. His knee has improved over the winter, but he recently faced a setback. McCaffrey noted that he has not ruled out surgery but is working on strengthening his knee first. Last season, the 28-year-old posted a 4.36 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP across 183 2/3 innings. He struck out 175 batters and held a strong 6.8 percent walk rate. If Crawford can overcome this setback, fantasy managers should expect him to slot in the starting rotation.

Mass Live's Christ Cotillo reports that Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee) is a bit behind the other pitchers in spring training due to patellar-tendon soreness in his knee. However, Crawford is not being ruled out for Opening Day in late March. The 28-year-old might not pitch in Grapefruit League games right away as a result, but as long as he doesn't have any sort of setback moving forward, he should be part of Boston's Opening Day starting rotation. The former 16th-round pick in 2017 out of Florida Gulf Coast University lost a league-high 16 games in 2024 while also posting a 4.36 ERA (4.65 FIP), 1.12 WHIP, a career-high 175 strikeouts and 51 walks in 183 2/3 innings over a league-high 33 starts. He took a step back in strikeout rate and hard-hit rate, which may have been the result of his elevated workload. If he can limit home runs -- he surrendered a league-high 34 -- Crawford could take a step forward as deep-league rotation depth.