2026 MLB First-Half Recap: Boston Red Sox

The Pitching

The Good

The Red Sox had three hitters with double-digit home runs as of the break: Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu — who’s been a menace against same-sided pitchers — and Willson Contreras.

Contreras, the lone right-handed hitter among that group, has been exceptional this season with Boston. The first baseman cracked a team-best 20 home runs and a .928 OPS over the first half, becoming the X-factor that Boston needed in the lineup.

It’s been a different kind of year for the Red Sox, a team normally filled with power hitters in years when the team is competing for a playoff spot. Boston ranked down towards the bottom in several offensive categories. But from mid-June onward, the team received just enough to get by.

Part of the reason why is that the Red Sox’s pitching has been very good. The Red Sox placed three pitchers in the top 40 of the league among starters in wOBA: Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez, and Sonny Gray.

Tolle, a bulldog left-hander, struck out 87 over 84 innings and limited the damage in his rookie season. Suarez, signed by Boston in the offseason, posted a stellar 3.15 ERA and allowed only five home runs in nearly 100 IP. Sonny Gray, meanwhile, was one of baseball’s best over the final month.

The bullpen, meanwhile, has been held down by Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.

The Bad

Aside from the slow start that got Alex Cora fired in April, injuries have caused two of the key pieces from the 2025 Red Sox team to be sidelined indefinitely.

Garrett Crochet, who was the ace of the 2025 team, was sidelined by a shoulder injury and later, a lat strain. As of mid-July, Crochet had made just six starts. Now, the good news is that, as mentioned previously, the Sox have been able to make do thanks to the rookies. However, Connelly Early went on the IL with an elbow injury before the first half.

Roman Anthony, meanwhile, only played in 30 games this season thanks to a lingering wrist/hand issue that prevented him from swinging a bat.

Trevor Story suffered a hernia injury that required surgery.

Aside from those issues, the Red Sox haven’t seen second-year infielder Marcelo Mayer take that next step. Jarren Duran, meanwhile, is on pace for a 20-20 season yet again. However, Duran hasn’t gotten on base at the pace we’ve seen. He slashed .194/.259/.350 in the first half.

Looking Ahead

Well, the Red Sox are back in the playoff race after the team rattled off a nine-game winning streak on the road to finish out the first half.

Despite not having Crochet, the Sox’s pitching staff is good enough to make it to the playoffs, even without Suarez, who is on the IL. But, as has been the story throughout the year, can the offense produce?