The American League Cy Young race just got a whole lot more interesting. After a tight battle last season, defending winner Tarik Skubal has been sidelined for two months following surgery to remove bone chips from his throwing arm. That opens the door wide for Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet to step up and claim the crown.

Crochet was the runner-up in 2025, putting together a monster season. He finished 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, led the majors with 255 strikeouts, and posted a 1.028 WHIP over 205 innings. He also led the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (11.2).

Last year, Crochet was the Red Sox' rotation workhorse and their only All-Star. His sub-3.00 ERA made him the backbone of the staff and a key reason Boston reached the playoffs. In fact, only two pitchers in baseball were better than him—and one of them was Skubal.

This season has started differently. Through six starts, Crochet is 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and a 1.467 WHIP over 30 innings. But there's a reason for the slow start: he was placed on the 15-day IL on April 29 with left shoulder inflammation, an issue he'd been battling since spring training.

Now, with time to heal, Crochet has a chance to return to his dominant form. If he can hit the ground running and re-emerge as a Cy Young contender, he could turn this injury setback into his biggest opportunity yet.