Boston Red Sox
Starting a season 0-36 when trailing after eight innings? That’s hard to do.
Jarren Duran attemps to make a sliding catch. Chris O’Meara/ AP Photo
June 11, 2026 | 2:30 PM
5 minutes to read
COMMENTARY
We all should have seen this coming.
Some of us did, and if you were one of those people, kudos to you.
Others like me, who were more naive, didn’t think it would get anywhere close to this bad. No one thought the Red Sox would win the World Series, but after a promising campaign last year, it was fair to predict that they would take the next step this season.
Instead, they’ve taken a significant step back and have crumbled into one of the worst teams in baseball. How has this happened, and is there any reason for hope? The short answer to the latter is no, but let’s take a deeper dive.
Here are nine thoughts on the state of the franchise:
1) This lineup had holes from the start.
The main problem with this team is that the Red Sox placed an awful lot of faith in young hitters who haven’t found sustained success throughout their careers.
Caleb Durbin showed flashes as a rookie but is only in his second season and still has plenty to learn. Andruw Monasterio is in a similar-spot as a fourth-year player who is still learning the ins and outs of hitting at the Major League level. Marcelo Mayer has shown flashes but is still figuring it out as well.
Willson Contreras has been a bright spot, but it’s unfair to expect him to shoulder so much of the load from a power standpoint. Wilyer Abreu has taken the next step, but he’s in a similar spot where the Red Sox are relying on him too much. Jarren Duran looks like an All-Star at times but is extremely streaky.
Whether you like Alex Bregman or not, the Red Sox need another veteran presence or two who can have a ripple effect throughout the roster like he did.
Red Sox are on pace for their 2nd-worst 162-game record EVER!
1. 1965: 62-100
2. 2026: 66-96 (pace)
3. 2012: 69-93
4. 2014: 71-91
This is the issue with John Henry and company talking about the World Series titles. They’ve also had 3 of the worst teams in franchise history.
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) June 10, 2026
2) Injuries are certainly a factor.
Injuries happen in sports, and the Red Sox’ woes absolutely extend elsewhere, but it is important to note that Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, and Trevor Story were all expected to be key contributors this season.
All three struggled to start the year after strong performances last season. If all three were healthy, and playing well, this season could look a lot different.
While Anthony still has a chance to be the face of the franchise, expecting him to do so as a second-year player was a risk that didn’t pay off in the short term.
3) What happened to Brayan Bello?
Brayan Bello lowered his ERA from 4.49 in 2024 to 3.35 in 2025. It was reasonable to expect him to complement Crochet again this year and take the next step in his development.
Instead, Bello took a major step backward, as his ERA ballooned to 6.34 and his walks and hits per innings pitched elevated to 1.67.
The Red Sox asked him to “fall in love with baseball all over again” in the Minors, which is an interesting request for someone in his position.
Is he not in love with baseball? If so, why does he play it? If not, why did they say it? That one really makes you think. There’s still hope for Bello, but it’s clear something has to change both mentally and physically.
4) It hasn’t been perfect, but the rotation has produced overall.
Outside of Bello and Crochet, the rotation has, for the most part, done its job and given the team a chance.
Payton Tolle (2.70 ERA), Connelly Early (3.30) are who we thought they were, and veterans Ranger Suárez (3.18) and Sonny Gray (3.20) have largely been in command. The next step for Early is limiting home runs (12 on the season), while Tolle needs to prioritize avoiding letting innings unravel occasionally.
But in an era where pitching reigns supreme and batting averages are down, assembling a rotation-heavy roster isn’t a bad approach. It just needed to be a bit more balanced with fewer holes.
5) Aroldis Chapman deserves his flowers.
Aroldis Chapman has 1,357 relief strikeouts, which is just six behind Hoyt Wilhelm for the most all-time. That’s a heck of a feat, and it should be celebrated among those in the organization.
He is also 10 saves away from tying Dennis Eckersley for most all time with 390.
Chapman, who has a 0.46 ERA and has allowed just one earned run all year, has converted his last 28 save opportunities dating back to last season. That’s the franchise’s third-longest streak since saves became official in 1969, behind Tom Gordon (54) and Koji Uehara (31).
“The Red Sox might find themselves in a little bit of a bidding war.” 👀@Russ_Dorsey1 says Boston will have no shortage of suitors for Aroldis Chapman on the trade market.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/NzwgBSVFfl
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 8, 2026
6) They’re outmatched everywhere, but especially in the American League East.
The Rays sweeping the Red Sox looked like more of a formality than anything else.
They’re now 1-5 against the Rays, 1-4 against the Yankees, 1-2 against the Blue Jays, and 3-3 against the Orioles. That’s 6-14, which, quite obviously, isn’t going to suffice.
Just really hard to make an argument for the Red Sox to be buyers at 27-39.
There’s little evidence this offense can turn it on for a sustained period.
They’re still *only* 5 games back of WC3, but with no ability to sustain winning I just don’t see a run happening.
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) June 10, 2026
7) Starting a season 0-36 when trailing after eight innings? That’s hard to do.
It hasn’t happened once? Not a single time? Nope, not yet. When the Red Sox are down after eight innings, they’re out. They’re also 1-33 when trailing after seven.
Give them credit for showing signs of life against the Rays on Wednesday with a four-run eighth, yet it wasn’t enough.
8) It’s no surprise Dustin Pedroia doesn’t want to join this mess.
Speaking on WEEI, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said he’s reached out to Dustin Pedroia about a possible front-office position but has gotten a no in response.
You can’t fault Kennedy for asking, and you can’t fault Pedroia for saying no given the current state of affairs. After watching Jason Varitek’s situation unfold the way it did, Pedroia is wise to stay away at the moment.
9) Good for Sam Kennedy for taking ownership.
Credit Kennedy for understanding that the product isn’t acceptable and calling it “embarrassing.” At the same time, it doesn’t take a genius.
For the first time, we hear Sam Kennedy allude to the Red Sox potentially not being buyers at the deadline, via @WEEI:
“At the current moment, there are a lot of discussions going on in terms of improvement and how we get this thing back on track… but look, let’s be honest,… pic.twitter.com/1weXvwAhfB
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 11, 2026
Kennedy, speaking on WEEI, said the Red Sox have to “be honest” about where they were and perhaps pivot from their original plan at the trade deadline and beyond.
“Nobody is free and clear of blame,” Kennedy said on WEEI. “Having been here 25 years, we’ve had some incredible high highs and some very low lows, but I don’t remember a period really feeling it as viscerally as we feel it right now. It’s been awful.”
Amen.
Trevor Hass is a sports producer for Boston.com, where he writes and edits stories about Boston’s professional teams, among other tasks.
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