Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Crawford clinched a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

EDGE Analysis

Crawford made one underwhelming spot start in his big-league debut last season when Boston was down multiple members of the rotation due to injury and COVID-19-related absences, but he otherwise split the 2021 campaign between Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland. Heading into spring training, he was considered a long shot for the Opening Day roster, but he ended up earning his spot in the bullpen after striking out eight and allowing one earned run and one walk over four innings during Grapefruit League play. Cora said he envisions the hard-throwing righty serving as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, with most of Crawford's opportunities likely to be limited to lower-leverage spots early on.