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Ex-MLB Star Delivers Honest Take About Red Sox’s Brutal 2025 Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox are not having the 2025 MLB season they envisioned.

At 32-36 and already nine games back of the New York Yankees for the American League East lead, the Red Sox have performed nowhere near preseason expectations, particularly with marquee additions such as ace Garrett Crochet, star third baseman Alex Bregman, Walker Buehler, and a revamped bullpen headlined by flamethrower Aroldis Chapman.

There are still 94 games left in the regular season, and Boston’s 2025 story is nowhere close to its final chapter. However, that does not mean the Red Sox should feel comfortable in their ability to rebound.

Here is what former MLB player Jimmy Rollins had to say about Boston’s panic meter on "B/R Walkoff Live:"

“I think by the moves they’ve made, they’ve already pressed that panic button," Rollins said. "I’m not going to count them all the way out. They’re a team that in the past has been resilient… [manager Alex] Cora finds a way to get the best out of his players… I think they’ve already pressed that panic button, but sometimes, that could be a good thing.”

Those moves could partially refer to the call-ups of top prospects such as Kristian Campbell, an Opening Day starter, Marcelo Mayer, Bregman’s fill-in at third base, and most recently, outfielder Roman Anthony to plug the Wilyer Abreu hole while he heads to the 10-day injured list.

While they are all exciting, young players in their own right, it would be asking a lot for them to carry the load of this tumultuous season.

Speaking of turmoil, perhaps no story has dominated the Red Sox's universe more than Rafael Devers’ refusal to move from third base and later reluctance to learn first base.

Boston is still getting more than enough offense from its highest-paid player (.280 batting average, .925 OPS, 157 OPS+, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs for Devers), but the entire situation has left an awkward impression.

Even without Devers in the field, the Red Sox have the 13th-worst Outs Above Average in baseball at -4. Plus, outside of Crochet’s brilliance, none of the starting pitchers have inspired much faith.

There is still time for Cora to turn this ship around, but the deeper we sink into the summer, the higher that panic meter rises.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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