White Sox managing Crochet's workload amid his breakout start

CHICAGO --Garrett Crochet has been a pleasant surprise for the Chicago White Sox during a brutal start to the season.

So pleasant that his increasing workload could become an issue.

After pitching Chicago to a 7-2 victory over Boston on Friday night, Crochet is up to a career-high 14 starts and 75 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-6 left-hander, who turns 25 on June 21, also has been the best pitcher for the majors' worst team.

"We're at a point now where he's reaching numbers that really nobody knows," manager Pedro Grifol said. "The only thing we can go on is our communication with him, our sports performance people, the way his body is reacting, the testing that he's doing in the weight room.

"Right now, we're OK. There's going to be a time where we're going to probably have to slow it down a little bit. That time is not right now."

The White Sox (16-48) stopped a 14-game slide with their first win since May 21. The losing streak set a single-season franchise record, and it was the majors' longest since the Angels also lost 14 in a row in 2022.

But Crochet has been terrific, striking out 10 in six innings in the victory over the Red Sox. He is 5-1 with a 1.10 ERA in his last seven starts.

"I feel good. I've been harping on the five-day routine a while. But it's been huge for me," Crochet said.

Crochet, who made his first big league start on opening day, had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022. He returned to the majors when he pitched a scoreless inning on May 18, 2023, and he also had a stint on the injured list last year with left shoulder inflammation.

Crochet, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, logged 12 2/3 innings in 13 major league appearances last season and 54 1/3 innings in 54 games with the White Sox in 2021.

"We try to come here and win a major league game. But at the same time, we're in uncharted waters here with him," Grifol said before the win over Boston. "And compromising a major league game and compromising Garrett's health is something we have to really, really balance and really be smart about.

"Everything we do with him is going to be calculated based on rest, recovery and what kind of benefits it can have for him long term."

The White Sox likely will listen to offers for Crochet ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, but his workload adds another element to any potential deal. If he stays in Chicago, he could get some extra rest or make abbreviated starts as a way to hold down his innings total.

"It will all be precautionary. Because he might not wane at all," Grifol said. "This guy's 6-6, 200-whatever pounds. He might be able to go 185 innings this year. Who's to say he can't?"

Chicago did make one move with its rotation on Friday, designating Jake Woodford for assignment. The right-hander went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in two starts with the White Sox.

Jonathan Cannon was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. The 23-year-old right-hander pitched three scoreless innings against Boston for his first career save, but Grifol made it sound as if he could go into the rotation at some point.

Cannon made his major league debut on April 17 and made three starts with Chicago before he was sent back down to the minors.

"It was great," Cannon said of his first relief appearance in the majors. "Just going out there and trying to execute one pitch at a time. I joked before the game when they were asking if I had relieved before, I was like, 'Same thing as starting, you just don't get to warm up on the field before the game.' It was good, nonetheless."