How Red Sox Could Fix Dismal Offense Right Now

May 31, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida (7) rounds third base en route to scoring during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

How Red Sox Could Fix Dismal Offense Right Now

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jun 16, 2026 9:58 PM ET

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The Boston Red Sox have more work to do right now to try to consistently wake up the club's struggling offense.

On Tuesday, we saw yet another example of a tough night for Boston. The Red Sox had a day off on Monday and followed up by kicking off a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at home at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

The struggling offense and the team's bad performance at home have both been major talking points for the organization. Boston took a step forward by winning two games against the Texas Rangers over the weekend, but dropped the series finale on Sunday and followed up with another loss on Tuesday against Toronto. Boston dropped the contest, 6-1. Aside from a homer by Jarren Duran in the eighth inning, Boston's offense had nothing yet again. The Red Sox collected eight base hits and six walks, but couldn't get anything over the plate, aside from the Duran homer.

Boston needs more out of this lineup. In a perfect world, the Red Sox would be able to go out and add another big piece, like Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros or even old friend Rafael Devers of the San Francisco Giants.

Boston is 12 games under .500 again due to the loss on Tuesday, though. It would be a bit surprising to see the club pull off some sort of game-changing deal at this point, because what if Boston ends up having to sell ahead of the trade deadline?

What Boston's Lineup Should Look Like

With that being said, let's take a look at the club and try to put together a lineup with the roster as is to try to unlock this offense.

1. Mickey Gasper, C
2. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
3. Wilyer Abreu, RF
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Jarren Duran, LF
6. Caleb Durbin, 3B
7. Marcelo Mayer, SS
8. Masataka Yoshida, DH
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, C

On Tuesday, Yoshida led off for Boston and went 1-for-5. He's batting .245 so far this season and has had limited power. Being at No. 8 on this list isn't a knock on him, though. The Red Sox's lineup hasn't been able to deliver and has been very top-heavy.

In this lineup, Yoshida would move down to No. 8 as a way to try to add a threat at the end of the lineup. Kiner-Falefa being at No. 9 fits this description as well. He's batting .272 on the season. Again, on Tuesday, Yoshida was the lead-off guy for Boston. Kiner-Falefa batted seventh and Mayer batted eighth.

Gasper should be the everyday catcher at this point. With this lineup, the club would be more balanced and spread out.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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