Red Sox Report Cards: Grading Every Boston Hitter for March/April

Heading into the 2026 season, the common questions surrounding this version of the Boston Red Sox were: “Does this team have enough to hit?” and “Where is the power going to come from in this lineup?” Well, outside of seemingly just Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras, both viable answers to those questions, the jury still seems to be out on the other 11 hitters on the roster. And as if their 12-19 start wasn’t bad enough, the offense has gotten off to a dreadful start ranking near or at the bottom of both the AL and MLB, including: 

• 12th in K% (9th worst in AL)
• 24th in Runs Scored (4th worst in AL) 
• 24th in Batting Average (4th worst in AL)
• 25th in On Base Percentage (worst in AL only ahead of NY Mets)
• 29th in Home Runs (worst in AL, only ahead of San Francisco)
• 29th in Slugging Percentage (worst in AL only ahead of NY Mets) 
• 29th in wRC+ (worst in AL, only ahead of NY Mets)  

The positive takeaway is there’s plenty of time to turn things around just one month into the season, and an attempt to do so has already been made with the dismissal of former hitting coach Pete Fatse. The concern, though, is that the team may have already dug itself a hole too deep to climb out of. Here’s a look at grades for all 13 of Boston’s hitters for March and April.  

(Note, all players who appeared in at least one game in March/April have been listed in alphabetical order by last name to help easily review.)

Grading Every Red Sox Hitter from April 2026

Wilyer Abreu

30 Games, .307/.373/.482/.855, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 11 XBH, 142 OPS+, 136 wRC+, 7 DRS, 1.7 WAR

The decision to make Wilyer Abreu an everyday staple of Boston’s lineup as opposed to one who usually sits versus lefties seems to have paid off so far, as the two-time Gold Glove winner has blossomed into the Red Sox best all-around hitter through the first month and change. Abreu has seen his numbers against lefties jump so significantly from 2025, where he slashed .230/.299/.377/.676, to now hitting .375/.444/.438/.882, that he’s actually performing better against them than righties in all categories except slugging percentage, making him a consistently tough out in Boston’s otherwise struggling lineup. 

Abreu has been on a tear right from the jump, hitting .400 through the first five games of March and continuing that success right through April where he did not see his average fall below .280. The biggest contributing factors to this success so far can be traced back to the fact that Abreu has cut back on his Chase% from 29.0% to 27.2%, Whiff% from 24.0% to 20.7%, and K% from 24.2% to 17.5% which has allowed him to drastically increase the number of balls he’s squaring up, from 21.9% (16th percentile) in 2025 to 26.6% (60th percentile) so far this season. 

In an offense that has struggled tremendously so far, and has looked for any signs of consistency, Abreu has been one of the few bright spots. Couple that with his continuously stellar defense with 7 Defensive Runs Saved already and his superb all-around play nets him an A+ grade.

Roman Anthony 

26 Games, .208/.339/.292/.631, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 XBH, 82 OPS+, 80 wRC+, 3 DRS, 0.4 WAR 

Prior to the 2026 campaign, the stage was set for the pressure to be immense on Roman Anthony as not only was he garnering MVP predictions from some, but was already being looked at as the next face of the organization at only 21 years old. Now with a full month plus to look back on it seems like you can add de facto clubhouse leader to the list of things on Anthony’s plate as he continues to be one of the first players in front of the cameras & microphones night after night, and you’re left to wonder if that is starting to take a toll on the budding star. 

To say Anthony’s start to the year has fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. After a strong opening series in Cincinnati, Anthony has been hit with looking caught in between at the plate (24th percentile in K% and 21st in Whiff%), troubles throwing in the outfield, and a back injury that further derailed an already underwhelming season.

Anthony is still managing to find his way on base (91st percentile in BB%) and hitting the ball hard (75th percentile), but with just a single home run, five RBI, and currently sitting with the third most strikeouts on the team with 32, the production hasn’t been there nearly enough and is one of the biggest reasons why the Red Sox offense has looked as anemic as it has, earning Anthony a D grade.      

Willson Contreras 

30 Games, .262/.375/.486/.861, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 10 XBH, 143 OPS+, 138 wRC+, 3 DRS, 1.3 WAR 

Things got off to a bit of a slow start for Willson Contreras in a Red Sox uniform, as he was saddled with a rather unlucky 2-for-17 start with his new club. They say patience is a virtue though, and boy did that ever ring true, as Contreras now leads the Red Sox in: Slugging Percentage, OPS, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, OPS+, and wRC+, while not being too far behind Wilyer Abreu for the team lead in WAR as well. 

While everyone will point to Contreras’ production at the plate and strong veteran presence in the dugout as his biggest contributions since coming over from St. Louis, an overlooked aspect of his game that has made a significant difference thus far is how he has stabilized a first base position that has been crying out for just that for what has felt like ages, tallying three Defensive Runs Saved and, once again, and team-high five Outs Above Average.

If it wasn’t for the aforementioned Abreu, Contreras may take the title as Boston’s best hitter in the lineup so far, but with a little bit more swing and miss in his game (team high 36.1 Whiff%), he falls just behind his fellow Venezuelan teammate. All things considered, Contreras’ well-rounded game still passes this first month plus with flying colors, granting him an A grade on the report card.

Jarren Duran 

26 Games, .170/.231/.250/.481, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 XBH, 37 OPS+, 31 wRC+, 2 DRS, -0.1 WAR

The start to Jarren Duran’s 2026 has been anything but ideal whether you want to focus on his underperformance on the field, his run-in with a fan in Minnesota who he flipped off in retaliation for shouting derogatory comments towards him according to Duran, or his standoffish treatment of the media when asked to comment on the recent firing of Alex Cora, which he met with a side-eye and dismissive backhanded wave away. 

For the sake of this grade though, I’ll choose to focus on the on-field play that has been anything but up-to-expectations so far. Through his first 26 games, Duran ranks dead last among Boston’s hitters in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and wRC+ with a -0.1 WAR that is second worst only behind Carlos Narvaez’s -0.3. Similarly to Roman Anthony, Duran has looked lost at the plate numerous times this season, so much so that he has begun shuffling through different stances, hand positions, and toe-taps/strides at the plate on a nightly and sometimes at-bat to at-bat basis. 

None of his adjustments seem to be making a mark though, as he has found himself well below league average in numerous advanced statistics as well, most notably his Whiff% (6th percentile), Chase% (22nd) and Squared-Up% (33rd) which may be contributing to his lack of power so far, with just six extra-base hits, and what undoubtedly hands him an F grade through the first month plus. At least he seems to be turning things around in May.

Caleb Durbin

29 Games, .172/.261/.263/.524, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 XBH, 50 OPS+, 46 wRC+, 4 DRS, 0.3 WAR

Much like fellow newcomer from the NL Central Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin’s Red Sox career got off to a bit of a slow start, just of a more extreme variety beginning the year on a 1-for-22 skid, and at one point 0 for his first 19. While his turnaround doesn’t come close to the resurgence that Contreras has had, there have been some things to like about Durbin’s game that may start to win over the fanbase if he can continue in the right direction.

To start, Durbin was able to close out the month of April hitting safely in five of the final six games, helping bring his batting average up to .172. Still not ideal, but significantly better than his .045 mark to begin the month. When it comes to his approach at the plate, while he is still struggling to barrel the ball up (1.2%, 4th percentile), Durbin isn’t really chasing (78th percentile), or swinging-and-missing (95th in Whiff%, 87th in K%) all that much, leading one to believe the continuation of good at-bats will lead to better outcomes. 

Where he has shined brightest without question, though, is in the field where he has looked solid at third base, accumulating four Defensive Runs Saved, two Outs Above Average, and a few solid highlights, including most recently a diving stop to preserve Ranger Suarez’s no-hit bid at the time against Toronto. While it hasn’t been a superb start for Durbin by any means, there have been enough improvements through the first month to grant him a (generous) D+ grade.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

14 Games, .229/.270/.229/.499, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 XBH, 44 OPS+, 38 wRC+, 1 DRS, 0.0 WAR

When the Red Sox surprisingly (and questionably) gave Isiah Kiner-Falefa $6 million this offseason, the belief was he’d come in and be a platoon option at second-base with Marcelo Mayer against lefties, be an option to get Trevor Story some rest if needed at short, and be a veteran presence in the clubhouse that was lost when Alex Bregman was kicked out the door. Through just 14 games, second fewest on the team only ahead of Connor Wong, it seems like Kiner-Falefa is only doing one of those things, and not even all that well.

While he has looked slightly better at the dish of late, coming up with some clutch hits and producing all three of his RBIs to the tune of a .286 average and .571 OPS in the final five games of April, the results haven’t justified the investment with Kiner-Falefa. His defense, bunting, and base running abilities, all supposed strengths of his game, haven't been average to below at best. And when he is making contact, there aren’t many fireworks there either with zero extra base hits and an Average Exit Velocity of 81.7, exponentially below league average.

His end to April is the only thing that truly saves him from an F grade on his first report card of the season, coming out with a D grade. That being said, one wonders how many more report cards he may even be a part of with the likes of Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, Kristian Campbell, Mickey Gasper, and even spring training roster invitee Vinny Capra all off to better starts in Worcester, ready to replace him if given the opportunity.

Marcelo Mayer

27 Games, .253/.321/.373/.695, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 XBH, 97 OPS+, 91 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.2 WAR

If Masataka Yoshida was the leader in the clubhouse on questions of where he would fit into the construction of this Red Sox roster, then Marcelo Mayer was the leader whether he would even be on it. Between offseason trade rumors for Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, to former manager Alex Cora directly saying Mayer had to earn his roster spot leading some to believe a trip to Worcester was on the table for Mayer, there wasn’t much certainty for the second-year pro. 

Despite all the noise, Mayer put together a strong spring training and earned that Opening Day roster nod, and despite not being in the lineup to start, was able to come through with two clutch at-bats to help secure Boston’s 3-0 victory. Mayer did cool off quite a bit after a hot start in Cincinnati but has seemed to turn a corner once again as in his final 10 games of April, slashed .417/.462/.542/1.003 with 10 hits and four RBI. 

Through March/April, defense has continued to be Mayer’s calling card, fully taking over the second base role and racking up two Defensive Runs Saved, good for an elite level 89th percentile. Where Mayer has shown tremendous strides though is his approach at the plate, as he’s not only decreased his Chase% from 29.6% in 2025, to 23.7% this season, but cut his K% practically in half from 30.1% to 16.3%, which is good enough to spot him a B- grade out of the gate.

Andruw Monasterio

15 Games, .227/.292/.386/.678, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 XBH, 91 OPS, 84 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.1 WAR

After being acquired as part of the package that brought Caleb Durbin to Boston from Milwaukee, Andruw Monasterio’s opportunity to make the roster came thanks to an offseason injury to lefty-killer utility man Romy Gonzalez. It seemed like that would be the role Monasterio, who slashed .273/.360/.477/.837 with two home runs and 10 RBI last year, would be taking on heading in to 2026. As we turn the calendar to May, it seems that might not necessarily be the case. 

Monasterio actually has more plate appearances against righties (26) than lefties (22) and has seen far more success against them too, owning a .280/.308/.400/.708 line with seven hits against them, compared to his .158/.273/.368/.641 one with just three hits against lefties. 

While the numbers don’t jump off the page by any means, Monasterio has been a fine utility bench option who has worked counts and fill in wherever the Red Sox have needed him to so far with at least one appearance at every infield spot — netting him with a C grade to start the 2026 campaign.

Carlos Narvaez 

19 Games, .234/.258/.359/.617, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 XBH, 74 OPS+, 65 wRC+, -2 DRS, -0.3 WAR

After a breakout campaign in 2025, expectations were high for fan-favorite catcher Carlos Narvaez to build off an impressive all-around rookie campaign both offensively and behind the plate. While Narvaez has still been elite behind the plate in terms of Blocks Above Average (97th percentile) and Framing (98th percentile), he has seen his Caught Stealing Above Average drop from the 98th percentile to the 70th percentile as well as his Pop Time increase from 1.92 to 1.98. 

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Narvaez’s early season struggles, apart from a slow start at the plate that he started to turn around at the end of April (.763 OPS with two homers and three RBI in the final 10 games), has to be his poor ABS performance. A spot where many figured Narvaez would shine due to his excellent command of the strike zone behind the plate has been anything but as he’s won just 33% of his challenges (4/12) on a meager 1.1% Challenge Rate. 

If there is a positive takeaway to be had with Narvaez and the ABS Challenge System, it’s that four of them led to a strikeout being gained as a result of challenging with one also resulting in a walk being taken away. While his start hasn’t been as poor as others, Narvaez definitely has not lived up to the expectations set for him before the season, leading to a C- grade.

Ceddanne Rafaela 

29 Games, .263/.333/.379/.712, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 XBH, 102 OPS+, 98 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.3 WAR

When it comes to Ceddanne Rafaela, you have a pretty good understanding of what you’re going to get, elite defense in centerfield and a bat that will be as hot as a pistol when he’s locked in and cold as ice when he’s chasing out of the strike zone. Or perhaps, that might be pre-2026 Rafaela, as so far this season it’s been his defense that has taken a slight backseat out of the gate in favor of a much better approach at the plate that includes a surprising amount of patience through his first 29 games.

Now while there have been a couple of miscues in center field, there have still been plenty of outstanding catches that suggest nothing drastic has changed in that aspect of his game. What’s worth noting specifically in Rafaela’s hitting is he has drastically improved two areas of his game that plagued him tremendously in 2025, that being Chase% (2nd percentile), and BB% (7th percentile), both of which have climbed to the 16th and 15th percentiles in their respective categories. 

And while the power hasn’t come just yet, one other improvement to his game offensively is Rafaela appears to be having more success at squaring up the ball this year, as that percentage has climbed from the 39th percentile in 2025 to the 62nd in 2026. There’s a lot to like about where Rafaela’s game is at right now with hope that his offensive numbers continue to improve and defense stays at its elite level, securing himself a B grade.

Trevor Story

30 Games, .197/.237/.295/.532, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 8 XBH, 50 OPS+, 41 wRC+, -1 DRS, 0.0 WAR

Coming off his best season in a Red Sox uniform, one where he was finally healthy, slugging 25 home runs and 96 RBI with an OPS of .741 in 157 games, many wondered if Trevor Story had an encore performance in him, with the added pressure of starting the year as Boston’s No. 2 hitter with the exit of Alex Bregman. Some doubted this belief and as we sit here now 30 games into Story’s season, those doubters may be able to take a victory lap. 

Outside of a two-week stretch from April 6th to the 17th, where he was coincidentally removed from the two-hole in the lineup and slashed .282/.302/.436/.738 with one home run and 15 of his 17 RBI this season, Story has been simply abysmal. Not only seeing his decline in the field continue to deteriorate with a Range and Arm Strength in the 31st and 22nd percentiles to go along with a team high four errors, but at the plate as well with extremely low Whiff (27th percentile), K (16th), BB% (12th) and Chase (2nd) percentages along with again a team-high 40 strikeouts. 

Factor in that Story was one of the most vocal and visibly upset members of the club when asked about Alex Cora’s dismissal, going so far as to publicly request a meeting with Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and question the direction of the franchise along with his struggles and you begin to see why he earns a D- grade to begin the season, with his only saving grace from a F being that two week stretch where he seemed to carry Boston’s offense at times.

Connor Wong 

13 Games, .243/.333/.378/.712, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 XBH, 102 OPS+, 98 wRC+, 2 DRS, 0.6 WAR

After an injury-riddled 2025 saw him lose his starting role to rookie newcomer Carlos Narvaez and an offseason that saw the Red Sox seemingly put an emphasis on catching depth with the amount of names they brought in via trade and free agency, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Connor Wong. Even after a lackluster spring training, Wong still managed to win a roster spot as Boston’s backup and through his first 13 games, has looked at times like there should be a conversation about him winning the starting gig back.

In just 43 plate appearances, Wong’s five RBI and extra-base hits apiece have already come close to surpassing his totals in those two categories (seven & eight) than he had in all of 2025. What’s been encouraging from Wong, who has not been shy about noting how hampered he was a season ago at the plate due to nagging hands and finger injuries, is driving the ball with more authority as shown by his increased Hard-Hit  and Squared-Up percentages. Wong has also been quite successful in utilizing MLB’s new ABS challenge system behind the dish, winning four out of his five challenges while also flipping a strikeout call in Boston’s favor. 

Even with a resurgence at the plate, where Wong still struggles — and where his grade takes a hit — is defensively behind the plate, where he owns a below-league-average Pop Time of 1.98 seconds and a -2 Blocks Above Average rate (15th percentile). Still, his strong contributions are worthy of a B- grade at the very least.

Masataka Yoshida

18 Games, .265/.390/.327/.716, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 XBH, 106 OPS+, 109 wRC+, -2 DRS, 0.0 WAR

There may not be a player on the Red Sox roster that had a bigger question mark on them than Masataka Yoshida heading into the 2026 season. Not necessarily because of his ability, but where exactly was he going to play with Boston’s outfield logjam never truly addressed in the offseason? As the calendar turns to May, those same questions still haven’t really been answered as Yoshida has appeared in 18 games so far, only starting 13 (11 DH / 2 LF) and being used as a pinch hitter in five. 

When Yoshida has seen the field, he continues to show excellent patience (13.6% Whiff% and 15.3% BB%) and command of the strike zone (23.3% Chase% and 11.9% K%), something the rest of some of his teammates haven’t been so lucky with. There have been plenty of times so far this season where the Red Sox could have used Yoshida’s professional approach at the plate to help a slumping lineup, but with no end in sight to the outfield dilemma, and the fact he’s seen as a defensive liability there (-2 DRS) constantly limiting him to mainly DH duties, it doesn’t feel like he’s going to see any consistent playing time anytime soon to fully showcase those offensive talents. Add it all up, and he seems worthy of perhaps a generous and respectable B- grade to round out the March/April report card for Boston’s hitters.