Kutter Crawford had an off-field “accident” that requires season-ending surgery on his right throwing wrist, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday, adding that the 29-year-old wasn’t doing anything “irresponsible.”
“It hasn’t been a great year for him,” Cora said. “… It’s just an accident.”
Crawford has been sidelined all season by a right knee injury that he initially suffered in his third game of 2024, a season in which he went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA in 33 starts, tied for the most in the American League.
“It sucks because we were talking about how deep we were in spring training and the options that we had in the starting rotation,” Cora said before the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. “And now it’s getting thinner and thinner.”
Crawford was one of baseball’s most durable pitchers in 2024 despite pitching most of the season with patellar tendon discomfort, leading the Red Sox with 183⅔ innings pitched and 175 strikeouts, but he also gave up a major-league-high 34 homers.
He hoped to recover with a full winter of rest and rehabilitation but suffered a setback during the offseason and was unable to pitch in spring training. He was placed on the 60-day injured list in March.
Cora also said that third baseman Alex Bregman, who has been out since May 23 because of a quadriceps injury, probably won’t return until after the All-Star break.
Bregman, who was batting .299 with a .938 OPS, 11 homers, 17 doubles, 35 RBIs and 32 runs in 51 games when he suffered the injury, has been running but has not resumed baseball activities.
Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, told The Boston Globe on Tuesday that his client, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season, is open to re-signing with the Red Sox.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
