Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) high fives teammates after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Top 6 Hottest Red Sox to Begin 2026 Season

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 2, 2026 7:00 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox are 1-5 to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season, but there are pieces within the organization who have gotten off to good starts to begin the campaign.

Soon enough, the Red Sox will figure it out. There is enough talent in the starting rotation alone to believe that this team is going to make some noise in 2026. Plus, when you have guys like Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story and Willson Contreras, the offense will fully click at some point. Although that hasn't been the case to kick off the season, it will come.

There have been bright spots in general for the club this season, despite the tough start to the season. Here are the six hottest players for Boston right now.

No. 6: Jovani Morán

Morán earned a job out of camp and has made the most of it with a 2.25 ERA across four innings of work for Boston in two appearances.

No. 5: Aroldis Chapman

Chapman continues to be amazing for Boston. He's made two appearances and hasn't allowed a base hit or run while striking out one.

No. 4: Connelly Early

Early has made just one start this season, but he was brilliant. The young lefty went 5 1/3 innings in his first start of the season with just one run against him.

No. 3: Connor Wong

Wong deserves some love here. This is a guy who mightily struggled offensively last season and wasn't even guaranteed to make the team out of camp. But he did make the team and is 5-for-10 on the season with three doubles and one RBI.

No. 2: Garrett Whitlock

Whitlock has picked up right where he left off. He's been phenomenal so far this season for Boston and hasn't allowed an earned run across three appearances for the club. He's struck out four batters while allowing two base hits.

No. 1: Wilyer Abreu

There isn't a player on the Red Sox more on fire than Abreu at this point. The young slugger is slashing .417/.417/.917 with a 1.333 OPS in six games. Abreu has launched three homers already — which is half of the team's total of six — to go along with six RBIs. He's actually the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1974 with three homers and 10 hits in the team's first six games, per former Red Sox director of baseball communications and media relations JP Long.

"Wilyer Abreu is the first Red Sox player since Carl Yastrzemski (1974) with at least 3 HR and 10 hits in the team’s first 6 games," Long wrote.

Yeah, that's enough to grab you the top spot on the list.

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

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