Crochet was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left forearm but does not have any damage to his UCL, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Crochet's appearance in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Athletics was cut short due to the injury, but he's evidently avoided the worst-case outcome. No damage to the UCL means no Tommy John surgery will be needed, so the young lefty is expected to be ready to pitch without restrictions during spring training. Even though he made his MLB debut as a reliever in 2020, the White Sox still view Crochet as a candidate for the rotation in the long run. As such, Crochet could be given the opportunity to compete for a starting role with the big club this spring, but a more realistic outcome is that he begins the 2021 campaign at Triple-A Charlotte if the White Sox remain serious about developing him as a rotation option.