Acquired by Red Sox to be an ace, Crochet earns Opening Day nod

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox acquired Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox back in December with the idea he would swiftly emerge as the ace of their staff.

That became a reality on Saturday morning, when Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that the big lefty will be the team’s Opening Day starter on March 27 in Arlington against the Rangers.

Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler will start the second and third games of that four-game series. The final two spots in the rotation are up for grabs with Brayan Bello (right shoulder inflammation), Lucas Giolito (low grade strain in left hamstring) and Kutter Crawford (right knee soreness) all expected to start the season on the 15-day injured list.

Crochet was an All-Star last season -- his first as a full-time starter in the Major Leagues.

This will be his second Opening Day start after he drew that honor for the White Sox a year ago.

“Obviously, I did it last year,” said Crochet. “But this year, I definitely really had to earn it. [There’s] some really good arms on the staff, and I’m excited.”

Houck became Boston’s ace on a mostly young pitching staff last season, and he took a team-first attitude when Cora spoke to him about Crochet starting the first game.

“I talked to Tanner -- he was our best starter last year, he was an All-Star,” Cora said. “He just said, ‘Give me the ball whenever.’”

What went into Cora’s decision to give the honor to Crochet?

"It’s just who [Crochet is]. His stuff is big,” said Cora. “There’s a reason we got him here. We envision him as a true No. 1. To be determined, right? Kind of? But we truly believe with where we are as an organization and what he represents, it will be good for him to make the first pitch of the season.”

The 25-year-old Crochet is a centerpiece of a Boston team that loaded up over the offseason with the idea of getting to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Crochet will try to start the momentum with a strong performance in that first game in Arlington.

“[My first start] happens to be Opening Day, and I’m really excited about that,” Crochet said. “And I hope to shoulder all the responsibilities that come with it with pride and just lead this team.”

While Cora knew about Crochet’s repertoire long before the trade, he has learned that his new ace is a certified baseball rat.

Crochet didn’t back away from his manager’s description.

“I love talking ball. It’s nice having teammates that love to do it as well,” said Crochet.

He has already learned he’s far from alone in that regard with the 2025 Red Sox.

“Definitely an added bonus,” Crochet said. “Some guys like to focus more so on baseball when they’re on the field and have hobbies away from the field. I don’t have any hobbies. This is my hobby, my job, it’s all I think about. I love thinking about it.”