Red Sox’ Kutter Crawford shares how he suffered off-field season-ending injury
"I was outside moving some stuff, I went to move something, it got hung up, and turned my wrist the other way."
Kutter Crawford is the latest MLB player to suffer an injury in the confines of their own home.
The Red Sox’ pitcher shared that the season-ending wrist injury he suffered came from doing work around his house in June before undergoing surgery in July.
“Just doing some pretty standard maintenance around the house,” Crawford told reporters. “I was outside moving some stuff, I went to move something, it got hung up, and turned my wrist the other way. I felt a subtle pop.
“When it happened, I had that gut instinct. I kind of felt a pop. I could still squeeze my fist and everything, but when I tried to move a certain way, my body didn’t like it.”
Crawford, who hadn’t pitched at all this season before suffering the wrist injury due to patellar tendinopathy in his right knee, was spending time at the Red Sox’ spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida, when the injury occurred. As he was working toward starting a rehab assignment, Crawford felt pain in his wrist when he was throwing the ball.
Eventually, team doctors advised Crawford to undergo surgery. He underwent surgery in July, with Dr. Thomas J. Graham performing the operation that was meant to help Crawford stabilize his wrist.
Had the wrist injury not happened, Crawford felt like he could’ve been back with the team by this point.
“It has been tough,” Crawford said. “I was really close to starting a rehab assignment before I had this incident with the wrist. It was the day before my last [bullpen] and I was supposed to start a rehab assignment. It has been difficult. It has been frustrating.
“But I’m trying to do everything I can to prepare and get my body and my mind in the best spot possible for when I do take the mound again.”
A week before Crawford’s surgery, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the righty had suffered an off-field injury that would likely end his season. Cora added that the injury wasn’t a result of anything “irresponsible” by Crawford, with the pitcher’s comments seemingly confirming that notion.
Still, the Red Sox have been snakebitten by off-field injuries with their pitchers in recent years. Chris Sale suffered a season-ending broken wrist injury when he fell off his bicycle to pick up lunch. Clay Buchholz missed three months in 2013 due to neck soreness, which he got from falling asleep with his baby daughter in his arms.
Of course, the Red Sox aren’t the only team that’s had their fair share of unlucky injuries due to off-field matters. Just this season, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman missed time due to an ankle sprain he suffered in the shower, while Twins third baseman Jose Miranda sprained his hand while carrying a case of water.
Bizarre injuries aside, Crawford is feeling optimistic about returning for 2026. He believes he’ll be ready for Opening Day and that his knee injury won’t bother him again, which would be a boost for the Red Sox’ rotation. The 29-year-old led the team in innings pitched in 2024 (182 2/3) to go with a 4.36 ERA, helping eat innings for Boston’s thin rotation at the time.
“The knee is in a really good spot,” Crawford said. “My knee feels better than it has in probably three or four years, so I’m very optimistic about that and hopefully will have no issues next year with that.
“Things are going good, all things considered. The rest of the body’s feeling good.”
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