Red Sox Report Cards: Team Grades for August

[Ryan Salvaggio]

August may have been the most confusing month of Boston Red Sox baseball we have witnessed thus far in 2026. After July saw the Sox bludgeon the rest of the league, August started no different, sweeping the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers in L.A. and the Chicago White Sox, who are en route to a first-round bye in the MLB playoffs. Then seemingly out of nowhere, just as easily as Boston had rattled off another nine-game win streak, they began racking up losses, which included a five-game losing streak and three straight series losses to the lowly Athletics, Blue Jays, and Pirates. 

Nowhere was this inconsistent month more on display than the final week in the Bronx, where the Sox squared off with the Yankees in a pivotal four-game set that had all sorts of playoff ramifications on the line. The Sox were sloppy, the Yankees took three of four, and a bitter taste was left in fans' mouths of what could have been as Boston finished the month 17-12. 

Looking back, there were definitely plenty of eye opening performances, both good and bad across the offense, rotation and bullpen. Let’s dive in to how they each graded out for August.

Grading Every Red Sox Player In August

Offense

For the second month in a row, the Red Sox tried to add some offensive thump to their lineup, and for the second month in a row, it hasn’t seemed to work out. July of course saw the addition of Curtis Mead, only to have him suffer a fractured wrist just two at-bats into his Red Sox tenure. For August, it was the addition of Adley Rutschman who looked to be the missing piece to the puzzle once he returned from a wrist inflammation injury. Once again, though, that wasn’t the case as when he did return, Rutschman posted an unsightly .170 average, .499 OPS, and season high 25.4 K% in 15 games before once again being bit by the injury bug, this time with an elbow hyperextension. 

Funnily enough the key to unlocking Boston’s offensive outburst came internally, specifically from the reincarnation of Ted Williams, aka ‘The Mick’, aka Mickey Gasper, who went on a month-long tear so prolific he can be spoken in the same breath as Barry Bonds and the aforementioned Williams. To go along with the six home runs, 13 RBIs, and team-high 329 wRC+, Gasper posted a 1.671 OPS, good for the third highest in a calendar month behind Bonds’ 1.828 in April of 2004 and Williams’ 2.314 in September of 1957. Add in a .270/.369/.432/.801 line with three homers, 10 RBIs, and clutch at-bats from Nick Sogard and an even more impressive .474/.600/.684/1.284 from Jahmai Jones, and the “Next Man Up” mentality continued to shine through for the Sox in August. 

The returns to form for Wilyer Abreu (.971 OPS, 163 wRC+, 7 HR, 17 RBI) and Jarren Duran (.789 OPS, 103 wRC+, 6 HR, 12 RBI) after rough months in July, along with the continued success of Caleb Durbin (.726 OPS, 106 wRC+, 18 RBI) and Ceddanne Rafaela (.276 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI), helped to to cover the rough stretches of play from Rutschman and Willson Contreras who produced a season low .217/.330/.386/.715 with a 102 wRC+. August was also capped off by the returns of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, who quickly silenced any questions of if there would be any rust after missing so much time, combining to go 8-for-16 with three RBIs, doubles, and runs scored. 

Minus a few hiccups, this was the Red Sox's best offensive performance of the season by far. It’s promising to see they continue to improve as we get deeper into the campaign, so much so that Boston ranked outside of the top-10 league wide in August in just strikeouts, stolen bases, HardHit%, and Barrel%. Diving specifically into their AL rankings, they finished the month first in OBP, SLG, OPS, wRC+, runs, hits, doubles (led all MLB), and WAR, with top-three finishes in AVG, BAbIP, K%, BB%, HRs, triples, and walks as well. With so many elite numbers, it’s pretty easy to determine Boston’s offensive grade for August. Final Grade: A+

Position Players Name	Mar / Apr	May	June	July	August
Wilyer Abreu	A+	B	C+	C	A-
Roman Anthony	D	N/A	N/A	N/A	A
Willson Contreras	A	A+	B	A+	D+
Jarren Duran	F	A	D-	D+	C+
Caleb Durbin	D+	D	A+	A-	B+
Mickey Gasper	N/A	A+	D	N/A	A+
Jahmai Jones	N/A	N/A	N/A	A+	A+
Andruw Monasterio	C	D+	D	A+	C-
Ceddanne Rafaela	B	A	A-	A+	B+
Adley Rutschman	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	F
Anthony Seigler	N/A	N/A	A+	C	C
Nick Sogard	N/A	B-	N/A	C	A-
Trevor Story	D-	D	N/A	N/A	A
Eli White	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	C-
Connor Wong	B-	B	A	C	D
Masataka Yoshida	B-	C+	D	A-	A

Rotation

If there was one glaring question coming out of last month’s MLB Trade Deadline it was: Why did the Red Sox not add an additional starter for depth? A perfectly valid question after that lack of depth ended up partly being their undoing in last year’s postseason. As we head into September, that lack of depth could very well be their undoing once again. 

As has been the case for a while now, Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray continue to carry this rotation. Tolle bounced back from a lackluster July to dominate August to the tune of a 2-0 record with a 3.00 ERA, .225 average against, and impressive 31.2 strikeout and 7.1 walk percentages across 36.0 innings pitched. Gray was just as good, if not better, posting a 2.40 ERA, .250 average against and 3.28 FIP to go along with six- and seven-inning shutout performances over the White Sox and Pirates, respectively. 

Boston’s rotation problems stem from the lefty trio of Jake Bennett, Patrick Sandoval, and Ranger Suárez. After a brilliant July, it’s clear Bennett has hit a rookie wall, as prior to his bounce back, six-shutout-innings start against the Yankees to close out the month, he had allowed 14 earned runs with a .323 BAbIP in 22.0 innings. Here’s hoping that the Yankees start got him back on track.

The same hope goes out to Sandoval, who outside of his one run over 5.1 innings outing in the Bronx, had seen his constant flirting with danger finally catch up to him in his four prior outings, allowing 13 earned runs and a .419 BAbIP while walking 12 in 20.2 innings.

The Red Sox's real concern, however, should stem from their $130 million dollar man who’s pitching like anything but recently. Suárez hasn’t looked right since coming off the IL, particularly with his command which was once his biggest strength, now quickly turning to a growing problem. To go along with a season-worst 5.70 ERA and 5.46 FIP, his strikeout percentage plummeted to 13.1%, while his walk percentage ballooned to a glaring 10.3%. Add in the four hit batters in just August alone (he hadn't hit more than two in any month prior) and it may be time to hit the panic button on who was expected to be Boston’s most dependable arm in the big spots down the stretch when he was first signed. 

While Gray and Tolle dazzled once again, their individual performances can only do so much to keep the rotation grade afloat with how much Bennett, Sandoval, and Suárez struggled. The cause for concern is definitely there with what’s looking like a tired set of arms as we head into September. Final Grade: B-

Pitchers Name	Mar / Apr	May	June	July	August
Jake Bennett	N/A	C	A	A+	C
Sonny Gray	C+	A+	A+	B+	A
Patrick Sandoval	N/A	N/A	N/A	B	C-
Ranger Suárez	B+	B-	A+	B-	F
Payton Tolle	B	A+	B+	B-	A-

Bullpen

Boston’s rotation isn’t the only area where the cracks are starting to form. After operating as arguably the best in baseball for July, the bullpen has appeared to come back down to earth as well, finishing as a middle of the pack squad with rop-10 league-wide finishes in innings pitched, opponent average, WHIP, FIP, BB%, BABIP, walk rate, and WAR. For context, the bullpen was in the top-10 in every category except strikeouts (11th) in July. 

The usual suspects were still as dependable as ever, with Aroldis Chapman a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities and holding opposing hitters to a .133 average in nine outings, and Garrett Whitlock posting an 1.80 ERA, .050 FIP, and .176 average against in five appearances. Greg Weissert also continued what’s quietly turned into a sneaky solid season, with a 3.24 ERA and .258 opponents average of his own. What Breslow lacks in being able to acquire impact bats, he makes up for in finding impact arms, as he did with Alec Gamboa prior to the season and Erik Miller at the deadline. Gamboa continued his surprising brilliance out of the pen, tossing 11.0 scoreless innings with a .167 average against and 2.5 BB%. As for Miller, he looks like one of the biggest deadline moves league-wide, as he worked to an 0.79 ERA, .190 average against and season-best 41.7 strikeout and 6.3 walk percentages in 11.1 innings. 

Much like the faltering trio of rotation arms, there are three relievers that should be ringing alarm bells for Boston. Justin Slaten has once again found himself on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, marking not only his second trip to the IL this season, but the second time he’s hit it with right elbow inflammation dating back to 2024 when he missed 36 games with the injury. And if fatigue may be setting in with the likes of Bennett, Sandoval, and Suárez, the same can be said about Jovani Moran and Tyron Guerrero, the latter of which has also found his way to the IL with shoulder inflammation. Both have seem to have taken a page out of Suárez’s book in terms of lack of command, with Moran seeing his K% drop to a season low 20.0% and BB% jump to 15.4%; Guerrero followed suit with a season-worst 12.3 K% and 7.0 BB%. 

As we head into September and the injuries begin to pile up, the Red Sox will need to tread carefully with a bullpen that is beginning to look overworked. Their depth has been tested thus far to mixed reviews, with Wyatt Olds (0 ER, .167 AVG against in 6.0 innings) looking solid and Raymond Burgos (5.84 ERA, .234 Opp. AVG, 12.1 IP) being okay in spots. Right now, the questions and concerns surrounding the bullpen aren’t as glaring as the ones pertaining to the rotation, leaving the 'pen with a slightly better grade. Final Grade: B  

Pitchers Name	Mar / Apr	May	June	July	August
Brayan Bello	F	B+	F	A+	B
Raymond Burgos	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	C-
Aroldis Chapman	A	A+	D	A+	A
Alec Gamboa	N/A	A	A	A	A+
Tyron Guerrero	N/A	C	A+	A+	D
Seth Martinez	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	C
Erik Miller	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	A+
Jovani Morán	A	C+	B	A	D
Wyatt Olds	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	A+
Justin Slaten	A-	B+	D	A+	C
Greg Weissert	D-	C-	C	A-	B+
Garrett Whitlock	B+	B	A+	A+	A+

View full article