Garrett Crochet implodes amid Red Sox slow start, plus more early-season fantasy baseball observations

I have a friend named David who lives in Southern California. He’s a lifelong Dodgers fan, so it’s been a good run for him. He knows my New England roots, and how I pull for all the Boston-area teams (in addition to my adopted Michigan teams).

A few days ago, David dropped the text.

What’s wrong with the Red Sox?

Of course, I played it all down. It’s early. MLB is only a couple of weeks into the season, the equivalent of one week of NFL play. Nobody has separated in the American League yet. Most of the records look the same. A few guys aren’t hitting for Boston yet, but they’ll hit.

And then Monday happens. Red Sox at Twins. And Garrett Crochet, ace, first-round fantasy pick, has this line:

1.2 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 HR

This wasn’t the 1927 Yankees (or the 2026 Yankees) doing it to Crochet. This is an ordinary Minnesota lineup. Victor Caratini and Ryan Kreidler hammered home runs off the Boston ace. These aren’t guys on the fantasy radar, although I guess you could consider Caratini in a deeper pool if two catchers are required. We should also note the quick start of Josh Bell (two RBI), who’s carrying a .900 OPS for the year. With three homers and 14 RBI, Bell has chased up to 37% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

Crochet’s velocity was down a tick, nothing alarming. Zero strikeouts is a concern, but it’s hard to know if this start means anything. Crochet admitted his command hasn’t been sharp this month. Both Crochet and Boston manager Alex Cora said there’s not an injury at play.

There’s no fantasy-actionable item here. I’d still start Crochet this weekend against the Tigers. He had a 3.27 ERA before Monday’s game, a little raised but nothing crazy. And everyone had the odd game where they don’t have it. Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes didn’t make it out of the first inning for his opening day start. We shrug. We move along. (Skenes has won his last three starts, including Monday’s turn against Washington.)

Minnesota’s explosion was part of the best MLB offensive day of the year. Scoring has been down for a few weeks, but the runs were flowing Monday, the homers were flying. We saw 144 runs scored and 37 homers over 10 games, and as my friend Joe Sheehan pointed out in his Newsletter, the league OPS jumped from .693 to .701 in one day (that’s a lot, kids). Sometimes some warm weather goes a long way.

The Boston lineup could use some warm weather, and maybe a hanging slider or two. Helium pick Roman Anthony is still walking a bunch, but he’s only batting .211. Chad Durbin was moved up the lineup despite a .135 average. Jarren Duran is batting .196, Trevor Story .188 (one walk, 22 strikeouts). I’m not worried about Anthony and Duran, and I still think Durbin might be useful. The Story start does have me concerned (don’t tell my front-running L.A. friend).

Grisham lifts Yanks to end losing streak

New York’s thrilling comeback win over the Angels might have some fantasy signal. Trent Grisham was the late-game hero with two home runs, despite not starting. He’s been a screaming buy-low all season, a .167 average and .354 slugging that’s been comically unlucky (Statcast data suggests a .251 average and .482 slugging). Grisham’s roster tag is 43% in Yahoo leagues; maybe take up the case.

New York’s rally came against Los Angeles closer Jordan Romano, who entered the night with three saves and a spotless ERA. Five batters later, he had a blown save and a 5.40 ERA attached to his name. Romano had two walks and a wild pitch in this bumpy ride, in addition to the Grisham homer. Given that Romano is closing in part because other teammates are currently hurt — it’s a temp-to-perm situation — his next appearance takes on some fantasy intrigue.

Put Jeremiah Jackson on your radar after grand slam

Another temp-to-perm guy could be Baltimore’s Jeremiah Jackson. He clocked a couple of homers in Monday’s keg tapper against Arizona, giving him three homers in three games. He’s batting .318 and slugging .545 for the Orioles, good stuff over 44 at-bats.

Jackson Holliday (hand) isn’t ready to come back yet, so Jackson will get some extra time to prove his worth. The Orioles are using him at second base; Yahoo managers can plug Jackson at second, third or the outfield. The recent hot stretch has moved him up to 9% rostered in Yahoo.

Matz looking like a good streamer this week

Later this week, I’ll have a scouting screen on Tampa Bay veteran lefty Steven Matz. He has a 3.94 ERA through three turns, but he’s pitched better than that. His FIP settles in at 3.00, and his WHIP is under 1.00. We always like to say, when ERA and WHIP tell different stories, trust the WHIP.

Matz draws the White Sox on Thursday, which explains why he was liberally added the last day or so. He’s still ready to go in about 83% of Yahoo leagues, and he qualifies at both the SP and RP slots. Keep an open mind here.