While the Boston Red Sox weren’t the World Series champions in 2025, the team still managed to bring home some hardware in the form of two Gold Glove awards thanks to some amazing defense from their outfield.
Winning his second consecutive Gold Glove award in right field was Wilyer Abreu, as the outfielder managed to put on a defensive display despite being limited to just 104 games in right field this season. In 847 1/3 innings, Abreu wound up with 215 putouts and seven outfield assists. He also started three double plays. In total, he finished the season with a .978 fielding percentage while putting up 15 Defensive Runs Saved, eight Outs Above Average, and a Fielding Run Value of eight. Of all right fielders in the majors, Abreu’s DRS was tied for second, his OAA was tied for second, and his FRV was second. He also led all right fielders with a 5.8 FanGraphs' defensive value.
Joining Abreu is Ceddanne Rafaela, as the center fielder won his first Gold Glove after appearing in 141 games at the position. In 1167 1/3 innings, the walking highlight reel made 319 putouts while also earning eight assists. For the season he finished with a .985 fielding percentage at the position. Though, that may be an understatement of just how good he was in center. Out of all center fielders, Rafaela led all of the majors with 20 DRS, a good five runs above second place which belonged to Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs. His 22 OAA just barely allowed him to pass Crow-Armstrong for first, as did his Fielding Run Value of 22. Rafaela also led all center fielders with a defensive value of 18.7. Rafaela had previously been named the 2025 Fielding Bible Award winner for center field back near the end of October, being the first-ever Red Sox center fielder to win the award, though Abreu had won it in 2024 for right field.
Carlos Narváez was also a finalist for a Gold Glove award for catchers, but the award instead went to Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers
Part of the Red Sox's success in 2025 was due in part to the great defensive effort of the outfield, and now two of the main contributors to that are being recognized with their rightfully owed awards.
In what was an expected outcome, the Boston Red Sox have declined Liam Hendriks' $12 million option for the 2026 season. Hendriks will instead receive a $2 million buyout. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported the news first.
Hendriks, who signed with the Red Sox as spring training was beginning in 2024, was rehabbing from surgery. While he started a rehab assignment in the second half of the season, Hendriks did not pitch in the majors in 2024.
2025 was more of the same when it came to Hendriks staying healthy as he opened the season on the injured list die to right elbow inflammation before being activated on April 19. Hendriks would end up back on the injured list with right hip inflammation on May 30 before being transferred to the 60-Day injured list in early July.
When healthy, Hendriks struggled with the Red Sox, appearing in 14 games and going 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.
Hendriks, entering his age-37 season will look to sign with another team an in attempt to continue his career.
Following their dramatic comeback victory against the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox got right to work returning their roster to full strength.
According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox expect to activate both right-handed reliever Justin Slaten and outfielder Rob Refsnyder ahead of Thursday's series finale.
Slaten, who last pitched on May 28 against the Milwaukee Brewers, had been placed on the injured list with a shoulder issue that turned into a nerve problem: a transverse process.
"It's a little bony thing that comes out of your cervical spine," Slaten told the media earlier this month. "Essentially, that bone in my neck was kind of pushing on nerves, pushing on blood vessels, causing a lot of shoulder soreness specifically..."
Before hitting the shelf, Slaten had a 3.47 ERA and a 3.22 FIP, along with three saves and four holds, across 23 1/3 innings pitched. After consecutive bad outings to start May, the 27-year-old threw 10 straight scoreless outings, allowing just five baserunners across 11 innings.
To make room for Slaten, the Red Sox are expected to send down left-handed reliever Jovani Morán. The southpaw was called up to replace the recently injured Richard Fitts, but didn't figure into either game he was on the roster for.
As for Refsnyder, he's been on the injured list since Aug. 23 with an oblique injury. The 34-year-old was 2-for-his-last-10 before going on the IL, but has a .905 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025.
Even though he hadn't produced much in his most recent small sample, the absence of Refsnyder was noticeable in Boston's recent stretch of games, as they scored just three runs combined in the two games started by lefties in the Bronx -- going 1-1 in those games.
The corresponding move for Refsnyder is the placement of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on the paternity list. Lowe went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 3-2 win, but still has a .296/.375/.481 slash line with seven runs batted in across nine games with Boston.
The Boston Red Sox announced a trio of moves on Tuesday, including selecting reliever Isaiah Campbell from Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Campbell on the 40-man, they transferred Liam Hendriks to the 60-day IL. To make room on the active roster, they optioned Richard Fitts to Triple-A Worcester.
Campbell's 2024 season with the Red Sox was limited due to injuries, including a shoulder impingement and elbow inflammation. He pitched in 8 MLB games, recording a 0-1 record with a 16.20 ERA and 2.40 WHIP over 6.2 innings, striking out 6. He also had a stint in Triple-A Worcester, with a 2.20 ERA in 14 appearances.
Campbell has spent all of the 2025 season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, primarily operating out of the bullpen. In 30 relief appearances he has a 3.89 ERA, 3.75 FIP, and a 12.7% strikeout-minus-walk rate. He will join the low- to -medium- leverage group of the Red Sox bullpen.
The Boston Red Sox will be without their ace for a while.
Left-handed starter Garrett Crochet went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to inflammation in his left shoulder. Third baseman-outfielder Nate Eaton was called up from Triple-A Worcester to take Crochet's roster spot. Crochet had been slated to start Friday, with left-hander Jake Bennett a likely candidate.
Crochet hadn't displayed the same form that led to his brilliant 2025 season, when he finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting and went 18-5 with a 2.89 FIP with an 5.7% walk rate and 31.3% strikeout rate, leading MLB with 255 strikeouts. In six starts this year, Crochet had a 4.33 FIP and 6.30 ERA, having allowed five runs twice and 11 in another. He has a 8% walk rate and 26.8% strikeout rate.
Surprisingly, this move comes after perhaps his best start of the season. In Saturday's 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, Crochet went six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Eaton played in 41 games for the Red Sox last year, putting up a .296/.348/.383 slash line with one homer, four RBIs and nine stolen bases. In 27 games for Worcester this year, Eaton's slash line is .292/.373/.458 with three homers, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases.
Tanner Houck, fresh off a brilliant 2024 campaign where he earned his first All-Star nod and pitched to a 3.12 ERA in 178 2/3 innings, was supposed to be the No. 2 to Garrett Crochet this season.
Instead, he was miserable in limited action, surrendering a hideous 8.04 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. He was originally placed on the injured list back on May 12 with a strained forearm flexor, and numerous setbacks have kept him from appearing in Boston since.
Now, according to Chris Cotillo, Houck will undergo Tommy John surgery in short order. The procedure and subsequent recovery will likely keep him out through the end of the 2026 season.
Houck, 29, is due to be a free agent after the 2027 season. Given his troubling injury diagnosis and the exceedingly-high likelihood of a league-wide lockout in 2027, it's possible we've seen the last of Houck in a Red Sox uniform.
This isn't our usual type of note or rumor, but as the managing editor of the site, this is perhaps the most important thing I can share with this community.
Our very own @Maddie Landis has been nominated as a SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Award Finalist! Her piece on Vertical Approach Angle was very positively received on the site, and we knew right away that it was a special piece of analysis. It thrills me to see Maddie's name alongside revered writers and sites like The Athletic, FanGraphs, and Baseball Prospectus.
If you haven't checked out the piece yet, I encourage you to do so. It's the kind of article that makes you smarter just by reading it, and it'll enhance your appreciation of pitcher analysis by many magnitudes.
You can see the full list of SABR Award Finalists here.
L.A.A.B. - Life After Alex Bregman. That's where the Red Sox are in their offseason after losing out on the superstar third baseman to the Chicago Cubs. While many expect the club to shift its sights to Bo Bichette, Eugenio Suarez, or another impact bat, Rob Bradford of WEEI suggests a different approach.
In a recent tweet, Bradford suggested that the Red Sox "re-engage with higher-end pitching while still looking to acquire a lower-tier bat." Of course, Bichette and Suarez would not fit in the "lower-tier" category, so Bradford is merely suggesting to bolster the pitching staff's ability to prevent runs rather than the offense's ability to produce runs.
After acquiring Sonny Gray earlier this offseason, the Red Sox's rotation is the strength of their team. Even with Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck on the shelf for most of 2025, pitchers three through five of the rotation are among the strongest in all of baseball. Additionally, the bullpen will look to continue to be good after a successful 2025 campaign. That really begs the question...just how big of a pitcher do they need to land for it really to make an impact on the outlook of the club? Would adding a #2 starter that bumps Patrick Sandoval out of the rotation really be better than adding a middle-of-the-order bat? Would adding another high-leverage arm that bumps a low-leverage arm like Jovani Moran off the roster or at least to Triple-A Wincester really be better than Bo Bichette? These are all things that the Red Sox need to weigh as they look to get back into the good graces of a fan base left in despair after Bregman bolted for the Windy City.
Do you think the Red Sox should add pitching or hitting? Let us know in the comments!
As the 2025-2026 MLB offseason gets underway, the Boston Red Sox suddenly have a lot of money available to them following the option decisions of Alex Bregman and Lucas Giolito. They also have decisions looming on Jarren Duran and Liam Hendriks, as well as on whether to submit a qualifying offer on Giolito.
On Tuesday, Rob Bradford of WEEI named Shane Bieber, Chris Bassitt, and Bo Bichette as potential offseason targets for the Red Sox to fill the team's newly identified needs.
Regarding Bieber and Bassitt, Bradford says, "Boston was the only place Bieber visited during last offseason when looking for a new team...and the 30-year-old certainly continued to help his stock with his postseason performance. Another potentially cheaper option might be another Toronto [Blue Jays] starter, Chris Bassitt, who manager Alex Cora has long been a fan of." While Bieber ended up signing with the Cleveland Guardians, he eventually became teammates with Bassitt in Toronto after a deadline deal. Both pitchers were key contributors down the stretch and throughout the playoffs.
Though the Red Sox are expected to pursue Bregman, and it's been rumored they're interested in Pete Alonso, Bradford identifies Beckett as another "go-hard-or-go-home" target. Due to injury, Bichette was limited to seven postseason games with a .923 OPS, including a massive three-run home run off of Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series. Across 139 regular-season games, he hit 18 home runs and had a 134 wRC+, cementing himself as one of the game's best shortstops.
Do you think the Red Sox should pursue any of these names? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The Boston Red Sox will lose one coach looking to climb the MLB ranks, and rumors are swirling that a second might soon follow.
Rob Bradford of WEEI is reporting that Chris Hess, the Double-A Portland hitting coach, has been hired as the assistant hitting coach for the Miami Marlins at the big league level. This comes days after it was being speculated that Justin Willard is expected to be hired as the next pitching coach for the New York Yankees Mets. Willard has served as the Red Sox director of pitching for each of the last two seasons.
While that isn't ideal, Bradford has a glass half full perspective, stating "You hire. You develop. You lose good people who get better titles. The Red Sox should take it as a compliment."
The Boston Red Sox feel Eduardo Rivera is ready for a big jump.
A day after promoting the left-handed starter from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox called up Rivera on Wednesday to make his MLB debut. So Rivera is basically going straight from Double-A to the majors. Right-handed reliever Jack Anderson was optioned back to Triple-A. First baseman Triston Casas (ruptured left patellar tendon, abdominal strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to make room for Rivera on the 40-man roster.
What role the 6-foot-7 Rivera will fill is another question as the rotation currently has a hole due to right-hander Sonny Gray going on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a strained right hamstring. But the bullpen has also been overworked in recent days and left-hander Payton Tolle, Talk Sox's No. 1 prospect, is primed to be called up to fill Gray's spot.
The 22-year-old Rivera had made two starts at Double-A Portland this year, pitching 10 innings with three walks and 16 strikeouts. In 2025, splitting time between High-A and Double-A, Rivera made 15 starts and five relief appearances, walking 46 and striking out 108 in 87 innings. Rivera pitched for Puerto Rico this spring in the World Baseball Classic.
Anderson was called up April 14 to make his MLB debut and has pitched three times covering eight innings, which could be the role for Rivera. Anderson allowed one run in each of those outings, while giving up eight hits and two walks while striking out six.
Marcelo Mayer is set to miss the remainder of the 2025 season, as he will be having surgery on the wrist that landed him on the injured list in late July. Alex Cora noted that the injury requires a three-month recovery, so Mayer will be ready for spring training in 2026.
Mac Cerullo went on to note that this injury is the same injury Mayer suffered in 2022, but that this most recent injury is worse. Mayer hoped that a shot that he received would help get him through the season, but he said he knew surgery was always likely.
Marcelo Mayer was called up as Alex Bregman’s replacement after Bregman was placed on the injured list earlier in the season. The rookie performed well defensively for the team while leaving a bit to be desired offensively. After his recovery, Mayer should hit the ground running and be in contention for a spot on the 2026 Opening Day roster.
The Red Sox selected Christian Foutch, a pitcher from Arkansas, 148th overall in the fifth round of the draft. Foutch was ranked 231st overall by MLB Pipeline. Foutch originally comes from Colorado, and was the top ranked pitcher in the state in 2022.
Foutch came out of the bullpen at Arkansas, and he finished his collegiate career with 3.81 ERA. His two best pitches are his fastball and his splitter. The fastball topped out at 100 mph this season, and is his highest graded pitch from scouts.
Foutch has a high ceiling, as he can generate a ton of whiffs with his plus stuff. However, he never showed great command in college, and that will be his biggest flaw as a prospect. Pipeline also notes that Foutch saw his role stray away from high-leverage situations as the season went on in 2025. The Red Sox clearly believe they can help modify his mechanics and improve his command, and that will be necessary for Foutch to ever pitch at the highest level. The pick carries a slot value of $479,000.
What do you think of the Red Sox's decision to draft Foutch?
The Red Sox got their second day of the MLB Draft started by selecting Mason White, a shortstop from the University of Arizona. White was the 118th selection, and was ranked 143rd on MLB Pipeline's draft board.
White grades out as a well-rounded prospect with a powerful swing from the left side of the plate. He finished this season hitting .327 with 20 homers. His power is his calling card, but Pipeline also notes that some scouts are worried about his long-term ability to avoid strikeouts, as his long swing comes with a ton of whiffs.
He may stick at shortstop, but White can play across the infield as well. He played some third and second throughout college, so it will be interesting to see where the Red Sox want to develop his defense. He is an average runner, so if they move him to the outfield, it will likely be into one of the corners.
Overall, White presents a fun profile with bat speed and big-time power. If he can develop a better approach and cut down on his whiff rate, he has a chance of accelerating through the team's farm system.
What do you think of the team's pick? Let us know in the comments!
The Boston Red Sox need to shift their sights after losing Alex Bregman to free agency. They have their work cut out for them as they try to rebuild some trust with a rightfully frustrated fan base. Ken Rosenthal has identified two different plan B options.
Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that "some in the Red Sox organization are high on free agent LHP Ranger Suarez".
Suarez, 30, has had a very productive stat to his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2025, he made 26 starts while throwing 157 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.20 ERA (3.21 FIP) and a 17.4% K-BB rate. MLBTR projected him to earn $115 million over five years in free agency this year.
Additionally, Rosenthal speculated that Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs could be an Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette alternative.
Hoerner, who will be a free agent following the 2026 season, may be available after the Chicago Cubs won the Bregman sweepstakes. Rosenthal speculates that it would take "a young pitcher such as Connelly Early or Payton Tolle" and is uncertain whether Red Sox brass would be willing to part ways with either asset for one year of Hoerner. Across 665 plate appearances, Hoerner carried an OPS of .739, a 109 wRC+, seven home runs, and 29 stolen bases. Though he primarily played second base in 2025, Hoerner has spent time at all positions aside from catcher, first base, and right field.
Do you think the Red Sox should add either player? Let us know in the comments!
The 2025-2026 offseason got underway on Sunday, allowing teams and players to make decisions on options for the 2026 season. To no surprise, Boston Red Sox third basemen swiftly made their decision.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe is reporting that Bregman has opted out of his contract, as was fully expected. Both sides have expressed interest in a reunion for 2026 and beyond.
Bregman finished the year with an OPS of .821 across 114 games. He hit 18 home runs and scored 64 runs, while adding one stolen base. His advanced metrics include a wOBA of .356 and a wRC+ of 125, indicating an above-average performance relative to the league. Bregman produced a total of 0 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 1 Outs Above Average (OAA). The veteran infielder was acquired by Boston as a free agent in February 2025. In all, his season was worth 3.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
He'll be one of the most sought-after free agents, if not the most, of the offseason. Eugenio Suarez represents another option on the hot corner for teams to pursue. It's previously been reported that the Red Sox will set their sights on Pete Alonso if talks with Bregman fall through.
How much should the Red Sox offer the 32-year-old Bregman? Let us know in the comments!
While Red Sox nation was preparing for Thanksgiving, Craig Breslow continued to prepare for the 2026 season as he signed infielder Vinny Capra to a minor-league deal on Thursday. The signing was first reported by SoxProspects’ Brendan Campbell.
Capra, who will turn 30 next July, spent the 2025 season with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. He would appear in 47 games for the two teams hitting a combined .125/.157/.177 with two doubles, a home run and sox RBIs. Defensively, Capra spent time at second base, shortstop and third base along with a few outfield appearances in Triple-A.
While it hasn’t been announced yet, his minor league deal is likely to include a non-roster invitation to spring training. Should he make it through spring training, Capra will most likely report to Worcester where he will serve as infield depth thanks to his ability to play all over the diamond.
Lucas Giolito put together a strong season for the Boston Red Sox in 2025 - a year removed from UCL surgery. Given his productivity, he declined his side of a mutual option, and days later, he learned that the Red Sox would not tender him a qualifying offer, effectively making him a free agent.
However, Giolito is very open to coming back. On Rob Bradford's 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast, Giolito stated, "I made it clear to everybody. I would love to come back here and continue to play for the Red Sox."
Giolito pitched 145 innings during the regular season across 26 starts. He had an impressive 3.41 ERA, though his FIP was 4.17 and could indicate some negative regression. Additionally, his K-BB% settled at a lowly 10.6% due to an elevated walk rate of 9.1%. Giolito was sidelined late in the year due to an elbow injury, keeping him off the Red Sox postseason roster. Of the injury, Giolito said, "There’s no injury, or whatever injury there was is gone. It was a weird, freak thing that popped up at the worst possible time..."
MLBTR projects him to make $32 million over two years on the open market. Do you think the Red Sox should look to bring him back?
While the Boston Red Sox will be extremely busy this offseason revamping their roster via free agency and the trade market, they'll also be monitoring the progress of injuries across the organization. On Monday, Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow provided offseason injury updates from the General Manager meetings in Las Vegas, NV.
Roman Anthony, who finished 3rd in AL Rookie of the Year voting, is "completely asymptomatic" after missing the final 22 games of the season and playoffs with a left oblique strain. He added that it's business as usual for Anthony, who "should start swinging in a couple of weeks..."
Triston Casas, who suffered a devastating knee injury in May, is rehabbing in Fort Myers, FL. Breslow was not willing to put a timeline on Casas, but added, "Triston is anticipating being ready for spring training." Injury aside, Casas has been the subject of trade speculation and was noncommittal when asked whether he would be the team's first baseman in 2026. This led Casas to make a very cryptic post on Instagram.
Marcelo Mayer's "been making great progress to the point that he was pushing to get back in time if we had continued deeper into the postseason", said Breslow. Mayer had wrist surgery in August.
He also provided updates on pitchers Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins. Fitts is throwing and is going into the offseason with no limitations", according to Breslow. Dobbins has begun a full throwing program after ACL surgery in August. He is expected to be ready by Spring Training.
Update: Christopher Smith of MassLive shared the following quote from Breslow Tuesday evening - "Red Sox catchers Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong, who both had surgery after the season: 'They're doing well. We don't anticipate any issues, and I think very shortly those guys will be having full, healthy offseasons.'"
Mostly good news on the injury front for the Red Sox, but what do you think will happen with Casas? Do the Red Sox need a contingency plan in case he's not ready or is traded? Let us know in the comments!
Note: this information was readily available across X, though most information was taken from Christopher Smith's article on MassLive.
Every year, MLB Trade Rumors releases a list of the most likely trade candidates for the offseason. In this season's edition, they named a total of 40 players, including three Boston Red Sox in the top 24.
Outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, as well as first baseman Triston Casas, were named the 12th, 13th, and 24th most likely trade candidates, respectively.
Duran, who has an $8 million club option in 2026 and is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, which will likely continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
Abreu, controllable through 2029, had a productive sophomore season that was limited due to injury. Playing in only 115 games, the 26-year-old still mashed 22 home runs to go along with six stolen bases. The Red Sox are fairly well stocked in the outfield, so dealing one, or even both, of these controllable outfielders to strengthen other position groups could make sense.
Casas, who suffered a gruesome season-ending knee injury, is projected for a very team-friendly $1.7 million salary in his first year of arbitration. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has been the subject of trade talks in the past, and while the Red Sox don't have a solid contingency plan at first, we can expect more of the same this offseason. There have been rumors that if they don't re-sign Alex Bregman, who is expected to opt out, they could pursue Pete Alonso.
Do you think the Red Sox should trade any of these players? Let us know in the comments!
The Boston Red Sox made a roster move ahead of Wednesday’s finale against the Colorado Rockies as they sent Nate Eaton down to Triple-A Worcester to make room for the return of Masataka Yoshida, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox moved right-handed pitcher Nick Burdi from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Yoshida has missed all of 2025 so far as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, but is finally healthy and will be in the lineup tonight as the designated hitter. The left-handed hitter looks to be an addition to a lineup that has been on fire recently.
Eaton, who was called up to the Red Sox after the Rafael Devers trade, appeared in 14 games, hitting .250/.296/.333 to go along with two doubles, an RBI, and three stolen bases. He split his time between third base and the outfield and had been the team’s leadoff hitter for the previous four games.
Burdi, who was placed on the injured list June 3rd due to a right foot contusion, has pitched in four games for Boston, tossing 5 1/3 innings while not allowing a run to score. He had made two rehab outings for Triple-A Worcester in the middle of June but suffered a setback when he felt discomfort in his hip.
With Yoshida officially back what are your predictions for him for the remainder of the season? Join the conversation in the comments.
On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox pulled the plug on the Vaughn Grissom era, trading him to the Los Angeles Angels, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The return for Grissom is outfielder Isaiah Jackson, whom the Angels drafted in the eighth round this past summer. Jackson spent three seasons at Arizona State University. In his final year for the Sun Devils, Jackson hit .310 with 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases, but his calling card is his defense.
The move clears a 40-man spot for the Red Sox, with the Rule 5 Draft scheduled for Wednesday.
Grissom showed flashes of the player Boston coveted when it dealt 2024 National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale to Atlanta, but ultimately fell out of favor fast.
In two seasons, he played just 31 big-league games, slashing .190/.246/.219 with a 30 wRC+ and -0.7 fWAR. He was a fine ballplayer in Triple-A Worcester, hitting 19 homers in 151 games, but simply didn't do enough to win himself an opportunity at any point in 2025.
With the Red Sox scouring the market for infield help, even reportedly exchanging names with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Ketel Marte, there was seemingly no chance for the 24-year-old to ever wear a Red Sox uniform again barring something extreme.
They tried moving him around the infield in 2025, even giving him 12 games at first base. Ultimately, the team felt the contingent of Abraham Toro, Nick Sogard, Romy Gonzalez, and Nathaniel Lowe gave them a better chance to win games in 2025. With, at the very least, Triston Casas slated to return from a ruptured patellar tendon at some point in 2026, opportunities were growing scarce. Grissom will try to revive his career in Los Angeles from here on out.
The Boston Red Sox continue to get bad news. Gordo of WEEI is now reporting that Boston Red Sox starting pitcher, Kutter Crawford, has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation program.
Crawford has yet to make his 2025 debut, but did make a single rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester about a month ago.
Crawford, 29, was initially dealing with knee soreness when players convened for Spring Training. While rehabbing his knee, wrist pain developed and has led to him being sent to Boston for an MRI. It's unclear when the MRI will take place.
The Red Sox middling rotation really needs to be bolstered and they're banking on Crawford's return as he lead the league in starts last year. Despite dealing Devers, the Red Sox plan on being buyers at the deadline and could add a starter that way if Crawford is going to be out for an extended period of time.
Just as the Boston Red Sox were seemingly getting back to full health, they were struck by injury once more.
This time the team will be without rookie Marcelo Mayer as he hits the 10-day injured list with a right wrist sprain. Mayer was forced to leave the Red Sox's latest game, being seen on camera pointing to his wrist. Mayer did say that it was only a sprain and not hamate or broken bone related.
In 44 games, Mayer was hitting .228/.272/.402 with eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and 10 RBIs. Mayer's greatest production was defensively as he bounced between second base and third base and played excellent defense despite coming up through the system as a shortstop.
The severity of the injury isn’t known but in response to the injury, David Hamilton was recalled from Worcester. Alex Cora also said that Ceddanne Rafaela will play more second base for the time being. The move to the middle infield for Rafaela will clear up the outfield logjam and will likely make the starting outfield be Roman Anthony in left field, Jarren Duran in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right field.
Do you think this is just a minor injury and Mayer will be back quickly? Could it be a longer absence? Should Rafaela be in center field regardless? Leave your thoughts below in the comments.
The injury bug has struck another member of the Boston Red Sox organization: Isaac Stebens will spend the season on the injured list. As first reported by SoxProspects’ Andrew Parker, Stebens will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early March.
Stebens was drafted out of Oklahoma State in the 16th round of the 2023 draft and split 2024 between Salem and Greenville. In 2025, the right-hander spent the entire season with Greenville where he appeared in 38 games and tossed 50 1/3 innings. After the season concluded Stebens, was one of the Red Sox representatives for the Arizona Fall League where he appeared in eight games and tossed seven innings.
Stebens was one of Greenville’s most dominant relief arms and had a good chance of opening the season with Double-A Portland. Instead, he will look to recuperate from his surgery before attempting to rehabilitate from his injury.