Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The game was tied at 0 after four innings.

Garrett Crochet watch is about to take a significant turn for the Boston Red Sox.

On Wednesday, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy shared that the big lefty is expected to toss his first official bullpen session as he attempts to push for a late-season return, as shared on X by The Boston Globe's Tim Healey.

"A big step for Garrett Crochet: On Friday he is throwing his first bullpen session, per Chad Tracy," Healey wrote.

Crochet has been throwing recently and has even advanced to playing catch off a mound. Advancing to a full-blown bullpen is the next significant step in his progression. The current expectation is that if Crochet is able to return this season, it's going to be in the bullpen.

He made that point clear. The fact that he's now moving towards throwing bullpens is the next step in this journey back to the hill. Crochet needs to get bullpens under his belt, face live batters and then likely a rehab assignment.

For the Red Sox, the regular season is going to wrap up on Sep. 27. One thing to watch, though, is the fact that Triple-A Worcester will wrap up its season on Sep. 20. So, there isn't a ton of time to get back on the hill and then get into the action at the Triple-A level. Crochet hasn't pitched in a game since April 25. It would be a pretty big shock if he returned to the majors without pitching in at least one minor league game. If things go well with Crochet's bullpen on Friday, expect to see a lot more information coming out over the next two weeks, or so.

As of writing, there are 17 days left until Triple-A Worcester's last day of the season on Sep. 20. Between now and then, it's going to be an interesting few weeks.

Boston's bullpen ERA has been the best in baseball for much of the season, but now is at No. 2 at 3.16 after a tough week against the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. Still, it's elite. The return of Crochet will make it even better, if he looks like himself.

The big lefty has been inching his way back for a long time at this point. Finally, there is tangible progress. Now, all eyes will be on Friday. If he can come away from the bullpen feeling good, that's going to make Boston more dangerous.