Garrett Crochet returns to the Chicago White Sox bullpen, while Liam Hendriks’ timetable remains ‘day by day’
The emotions hadn’t hit Garrett Crochet yet.
“Probably after I get my feet wet, whenever that might be,” Crochet said Tuesday afternoon.
The Chicago White Sox activated the reliever Tuesday as he made his way back from Tommy John surgery. The left-hander missed all of last season.
“Arm has been feeling good,” Crochet said before the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field. “Just excited to get here and help the guys out.”
Crochet exited a March 31, 2022, Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear, Ariz., with the elbow injury and had surgery five days later.
“Sometimes (the process) feels long, but it also feels like yesterday,” he said. “Just taking it one day at a time, following the program. Being present with every moment. Doesn’t really feel like it took that long.”
He made six rehab appearances this spring at Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte with a combined 7.50 ERA. He allowed five runs on six hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and four walks.
“Command of all pitches started to come back,” Crochet said. “Shapes of everything is pretty much where I want it. Just feeling good.”
Crochet is prepared if needed for multiple relief innings.
“I feel comfortable with whatever role I’m asked to be in,” he said.
The No. 11 pick in the 2020 draft, Crochet is 3-5 with a 2.82 ERA, 12 holds, 73 strikeouts and a .206 opponents average in 59 relief appearances during two seasons with the Sox (2020-21). He last pitched in a regular-season game Oct. 1, 2021.
“I feel like it will be pretty similar to what you saw in ‘21,” Crochet said. “Lots of fastballs, lots of sliders. Pretty confident in the changeup now. Hopefully I can get that percentage up a little bit and be a three-pitch guy.”
In Tuesday’s corresponding move, the Sox optioned pitcher Nick Padilla to Charlotte. Padilla allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in two innings in his only appearance with the Sox on May 10 in Kansas City.
Crochet returns as the Sox anticipate the arrival of closer Liam Hendriks, who continues his rehab assignment with Charlotte.
“He’ll throw another (partial outing) I think Thursday,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Then after he’s done, we’ll check the box, see how he feels. We’ll play it outing by outing. It could be that he feels great at that time, it could be another week. There’s no blueprint for this, so we’re going day by day with him.
“It’s just a feel of him feeling that he can come up here and do what he normally does. He’s the only one that knows that. He’s the only one that feels his body, his mind. When you have a guy like him that has a good awareness of how he feels and is a good self-evaluator, then you go with it. And that’s what we’ve got.”
Grifol knows what Crochet and Hendriks can provide for the ballclub.
“Anytime you get a chance to lengthen out your pen, it’s a great boost,” Grifol said. “Our starting pitching, one thing they’ve done really well is they’ve given us some innings and some pitches. So when Liam comes, he backs up that bullpen a little bit. And Crochet picks it up on the other side as well.
“You’re looking at shortening games up. It’s a big-time boost.”
