Injuries, role changes, and young arms are shaking up the fantasy baseball landscape—and the latest bombshell involves Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet. After a puzzling spring and an uneven start to the season, the team announced Wednesday that Crochet is headed to the IL with shoulder inflammation. The move opens a significant door for emerging arms like Cade Cavalli and Payton Tolle, making this week's waiver wire a must-read for fantasy managers looking to stay ahead.
Crochet's struggles have been brewing since spring training, where he admitted to battling fatigue and losing the feel for his four-seam fastball. His velocity has dipped in several outings, and his arm angle has steadily dropped—from 38 degrees in 2024 to 35 in 2025 and now 32 degrees in 2026. While a lower arm slot isn't automatically a red flag, combined with a declining fastball and a recent tendency to abandon his signature cutter, it's been clear for over a month that something wasn't right. In his last start, the warning signs were impossible to ignore.
The Red Sox are calling it "shoulder inflammation," and Crochet himself described it as "just some fatigue." He'll be out until at least the second week of May, but history suggests caution: over the last five seasons, pitchers landing on the IL with shoulder inflammation miss an average of 46 days. Optimists hope for the shorter end of that timeline, but the vague diagnosis leaves plenty of uncertainty.
For fantasy managers, Crochet's absence is a blow—but it's also an opportunity. Enter Cade Cavalli, the hard-throwing right-hander who has been lighting up the minors and is now knocking on the door of a rotation spot. With Washington's pitching staff in flux, Cavalli's power arsenal makes him an intriguing stash. Meanwhile, Payton Tolle, a rising prospect with a polished mix of pitches, is another name to watch as teams scramble for depth. These young arms represent exactly the kind of upside plays that can swing a fantasy season.
Whether you're looking to fill a hole in your rotation or simply want to stay ahead of the competition, the waiver wire is buzzing. Crochet's injury is a reminder that in baseball—and fantasy baseball—opportunity often strikes when you least expect it. Keep an eye on Cavalli and Tolle as they step into the spotlight.