Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, who has not pitched since April because of shoulder inflammation, will be available out of the bullpen for the American League Wild Card series vs. the New York Yankees.
The best-of-three series begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
"He's worked very hard to get everything back strong the way it needs to be, but we're still going to be evaluating him daily to see where he's at," manager Chad Tracy said of Crochet, who was 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA in six starts before going on the IL.
Crochet, a two-time All-Star who finished second in AL Cy Young balloting last season, threw in the mid-90s during two live batting practice sessions last week at the team's facility in Fort Myers, Florida. He won last season's ALWCS opener against the Yankees by allowing one run and four hits while striking out 11 in 7 2/3 innings.
The Red Sox will be without setup man Tyron Guerrero, who has been on the IL since Sept. 1 because of right shoulder inflammation. Utilitymen Nate Eaton and Andruw Monasterio were included on the wild-card roster for the series vs. the Yankees.