Article: Stock Up, Stock Down: Red Sox Players to Watch in September

[Jordan Leandre]

For the first time since 2019, the Boston Red Sox went over .500 in August, going 17-11 overall following a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on the final day of the month.

It wasn't the cleanest stretch, despite the team's success, as they lost five straight at home against the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Pirates, but also won seven of eight on the road against the New York Yankees and Orioles. Some very high highs and very low lows, but all in all, you'll never scoff at six games above .500 in the dog days of August.

Any player can have a hot month; any player can have a cold month. That said, who are the three players whose stock climbed the most in August for the Red Sox?

1. LHP Aroldis Chapman: 11.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 14 K, 8 SV

Any time you go an entire month without allowing a hit, it's safe to say your stock climbed, even if you're only used one inning at a time.

It's not lost on the public the nature of Chapman's dominance in 2025, his age-37 season, but every time you look at the numbers, it continues to amaze.

Across his 12 outings, Chapman fanned 41.2% of opposing hitters -- fifth among qualified MLB relievers in August -- and carried a WHIP of 0.09. It's gotten to the point with his command where you're almost shocked if he finds himself in a three-ball count, which are words one never thought they'd say about the All-Star left-hander.

The Red Sox are clearly believers in his ability to sustain elite-level production beyond 2025, seeing as they extended him through at least the 2026 season with a base salary of $13.3 million.

2. OF Roman Anthony: .304/.390/.520 with a 149 wRC+ and 10 extra-base hits 

The power began to shine for Anthony in August, who is suddenly on the precipice of double digits in his rookie campaign with less than 30 games to go.

Part of the fear with trading someone like Rafael Devers, especially with third baseman Alex Bregman on the shelf, was the perception that the fate of 2025 was in the hands of a 21-year-old the organization deemed unready until mid-June. Not only have they catapulted into a near-lock to make the postseason, but he's also become the best player on the team.

In August, Anthony posted 1.2 fWAR, which led the Red Sox. His six home runs also led the team, and his 13 runs batted in were good for third despite him spending the lion's share of his time as the team's leadoff hitter.

August was also the month Anthony acquired generational wealth, inking an eight-year deal worth a base salary of $130 million with performance escalators.

3. SS Trevor Story: .278/.345/.472 with a 122 wRC+ and 19 RBIs

Every month that passes makes May look like a mirage for the veteran shortstop. It's not always sexy and still features a great deal of swing-and-miss, as well as an uncomfortable expansion of the strike zone, but the authority with which Story hits the baseball continues to impress.

In late August, Story joined the 20-homer, 20-steal club, and even later in the month, he belted his 200th career home run.

 

Obviously, for a team to succeed, it needs several of its players firing on all cylinders. However, it feels like getting production out of Story specifically drives this team to a whole different gear that is felt by nobody else, besides maybe outfielder Jarren Duran, who also had a good August.

Story was second on the team in Wins Above Replacement with 1.0, and led the team with 19 runs batted in. The fact that he's suddenly on the cusp of the 25/25 club with a distant shot at 30/30 (given where he was in May) is nothing short of incredible.

Honorable Mentions: RHPs Brayan Bello (2.27 ERA in five starts) and Lucas Giolito (2.39 ERA in six starts)

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On the flip side, there was a healthy handful of players who disappointed in August. Here are the three whose stock dropped the most.

1. DH/LF Masataka Yoshida: .214/.296/.300 with a 65 wRC+ and nine RBIs

Watching Yoshida hit in August, particularly toward the end of the month, became very difficult. After showing signs of life in late July and early August, the designated hitter went dormant in his final 13 games, slashing .163/.234/.186 with a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent.

Yoshida has a rap sheet in MLB as a notorious slow starter; we've seen him overcome it in 2023 and 2024 and have productive campaigns offensively. However, it's gotten to the point where the Red Sox can't afford to wait and see with him. Winning is paramount, and they are struggling to get productivity from the DH spot.

Seeing as the team released right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler at the end of the month, they clearly know they can't be wasting roster spots in hopes a player turns it on. While it's unlikely they get that extreme with Yoshida, who still has two years left on his contract, it's hard to justify using him at all, even as a pinch-hitter.

2. OF Ceddanne Rafaela: .208/.266/.317 with a 58 wRC+ and one home run

August wasn't kind to Rafaela, though he was instrumental in getting them their four-game sweep of the Orioles with a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning.

Though strikeouts were only slightly more of a problem than his season average, his quality of contact tanked. In 79 batted ball events, he had a hard-hit rate of 29.1 percent with a barrel percentage of 3.8.

There's cause for optimism that he's working his way out of the skid, however, as he had at least one hit in seven of his final nine games in August, hitting .278 over that span with five extra-base hits.

3. RHP Jordan Hicks: 7.36 ERA, nine strikeouts to seven walks in 11.0 IP

Reliever ERA can be deceiving. In this case, it's probably being kinder to Hicks than the feeling within Red Sox Nation when he enters a ballgame.

In August, Hicks made 11 appearances and allowed at least two runs in three of them. Not only that, but he didn't once have a 1-2-3 inning. At times, it began to feel like he wasn't even on the roster, as there were two separate stretches where he went five days or more between outings.

The frustrating thing about Hicks is that he's immensely talented but has no idea where the baseball is going. You can see the vision with him as a high-leverage reliever, with a triple-digit heater with sink and multiple secondaries to keep hitters off-balance. The problem is he's too inconsistent at the moment to be counted on for anything more intense than mop-up duty until further notice.

Honorable Mentions: C Carlos Narváez (.173 average), 3B Alex Bregman (.360 SLG) and RHP Dustin May (5.68 ERA)

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[mvp 78]

Rafaela has been bad, but that's the rollercoaster you sign up for with his profile. He also has the chance to get randomly hot out of nowhere so he needs to keep playing. Masa and Hicks can take the phantom IL slot though. 

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Rafaela has been bad, but that's the rollercoaster you sign up for with his profile. He also has the chance to get randomly hot out of nowhere so he needs to keep playing. Masa and Hicks can take the phantom IL slot though. 

Hicks needs the IL, since he is out of options. (Il him, when Guerrero is ready, of call up Harrison for the WED start.)

Yoshida can be demoted and start playing everyday v L and R with Woo. (Demote him & call up Garcia or Campbell to DH.)

[mvp 78]

24 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Hicks needs the IL, since he is out of options. (Il him, when Guerrero is ready, of call up Harrison for the WED start.)

Yoshida can be demoted and start playing everyday v L and R with Woo. (Demote him & call up Garcia or Campbell to DH.)

I've heard that WED may go to Harrison, but not sure it's confirmed. I wouldn't say he'll be better than May or Buehler though. 

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I've heard that WED may go to Harrison, but not sure it's confirmed. I wouldn't say he'll be better than May or Buehler though. 

We're grasping at straws and hoping we pick the right one. Tolle looked real good, last start, but he's no sure bet, either.

[mvp 78]

22 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

We're grasping at straws and hoping we pick the right one. Tolle looked real good, last start, but he's no sure bet, either.

Not a sure bet, but I'd take him over most of the other options even if they are limiting his innings somewhat. 

[moonslav59]

55 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Not a sure bet, but I'd take him over most of the other options even if they are limiting his innings somewhat. 

Indeed. It's not just about his last start, either. He just has better stuff.

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Indeed. It's not just about his last start, either. He just has better stuff.

It has really come together for him recently. Even early on this year, his secondaries weren't showing that well. Now, they are actually somewhat playable in MLB. There's more work to be done, but he's a lock for an Opening Day rotation spot.