Alex Mayes

The Boston Red Sox have all the makings of a strong foundation on the 2026 roster, they just need everything to come together. Roman Anthony was playing well below his ability when a right wrist sprain sidelined him on May 7; Marcelo Mayer has been playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at second and his bat seems to be slowly heating up; Wilyer Abreu has been the best offensive player on the team and is squarely in the conversion to take home a third straight Gold Glove in right field. The name flying under the radar when it comes to foundational pieces, though, is Ceddanne Rafaela. He signed an eight-year, $50 million contract before the 2024 season that will keep him around through 2031 and is only paying out an average annual value of $6.25 million a season. Talk about an absolute steal. The player he’s most consistently compared to, the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, signed a six-year, $115 million contract before the 2026 season. If Rafaela keeps playing like he currently is, his contract could be the steal of the league and he should be viewed as a major building block for this franchise moving forward. In the easiest of all discussions, Rafaela’s defense is arguably second to none in Major League Baseball. He’s as sure of a thing as you can be in center field and the discussion about moving him to second base ever again needs to be over. According to Baseball Savant, Rafaela currently is in the 99th percentile with an astonishing +6 Outs Above Average and the 81st percentile in Arm Strength. His expected catch percentage is at 87%, but his actual catch percentage outpaces that at 93%. If there’s a ball hit to center field, you can just feel that Rafaela is going to be able to track it down in a way that looks routine but is often anything but. The start of the season was flukey, and he misplayed a few balls that tanked his defensive metrics, but he’s shined since then and has all but completely righted the ship. I had the opportunity to see this catch in St. Louis in person and no one in the stadium believed he’d actually get to this ball, let alone make the catch. Even Cardinals fans gave him a standing ovation as he ran off the field at the end of the inning. What’s been most surprising for Rafaela though, is his offense has finally come around. He’s currently slashing .284/.354/.432 with a .352 wOBA, 120 wRC+, and 1.4 fWAR. Interim manager Chad Tracy has moved Rafaela up in the lineup since Alex Cora was fired, but the center fielder has stayed solid and produced from any position in the lineup he’s been asked to hit in. What is arguably more impressive is that the swing-and-miss has started to leave his profile; his strikeout percentage is 22% so far this season, but his walk rate is the highest it’s been in his career at 6.1%. While that’s not an ideal figure, you’ll take it on a guy who, up to this point, was willing to swing at anything that was thrown his way at the plate. His plate discipline has been so much better in 2026 and no matter which manager has been calling the shots, it’s obvious that they trust him to come through when it matters most. Plus, his clutch gene has been on display again this season. With incredible defense and an improved offensive profile, Ceddanne Rafaela may be the biggest bargain on the roster right now. His contract is incredibly team friendly and he’s playing way above how much money he’s making. Don’t be surprised if Craig Breslow receives calls around Rafaela if the team continues this downward trajectory, but it would be foolish for the front office to circle him as a piece worth moving. Ceddanne Rafaela will likely be an All-Star for the Red Sox this year and for good reason. He’s been showing out in all facets of the game in 2026. He’s a foundational piece as the team starts to turn their attention to 2027 and beyond, and his contract means the team has more money to allocate for other names to bring in to help make the team better and, hopefully, compete for a World Series championship in the near future. View full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 2-4 Runs Scored Last Week: 11 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 19 Standings: 5th in AL East 11.5 GB First Place Transactions: 05/15/26: Red Sox sent LHP Danny Coulombe on a rehab assignment to Portland Sea Dogs. 05/15/26: Red Sox recalled 1B Nick Sogard from Worcester Red Sox. 05/15/26: Red Sox placed SS Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 15, 2026. Sports hernia. Scores: Game 40 (05/12): BOS 1, PHI 2 Game 41 (05/13): BOS 3, PHI 1 Game 42 (05/14): BOS 1, PHI 3 Game 43 (05/15): BOS 2, ATL 3 Game 44 (05/16): BOS 3, ATL 2 Game 45 (05/17): BOS 1, ATL 8 Series Breakdown/Highlights Phillies Series: Much like every other series this season, the Phillies series was defined by stellar starts from the Red Sox that couldn’t be backed up with any sort of offense. Time and time again, Boston had opposing pitchers on the ropes with runners in scoring position and they failed to capitalize. Maybe the biggest flaw in the Red Sox’s offensive approach is that they can’t get deep into counts. In the first game of this series they saw a combined 16 pitches through the first three innings against Zack Wheeler, who is still working his way back from a medical procedure and isn’t quite the pitcher the Phillies need him to be. In game two, the Red Sox managed to ride Sonny Gray’s best start of the season to a win, thanks in large part to some excellent defense from Willson Contreras and Marcelo Mayer. Ranger Suarez shoved in his return to action against his former club, tossing 5 ⅓ innings with eight strikeouts, one walk, and zero earned runs. Wilyer Abreu also kept his hot streak against left-handed pitching going against the Phillies. Maybe the best thing to happen during this part of the week was when Garrett Crochet began throwing off a mound. Braves Series: The series against the Braves was more of the same, except for terrible starting pitching in the rubber match on Sunday. Why the decision to abandon the opener for Brayan Bello was made is something that will be discussed for the next few days as the club looks to rebound, but it’s obvious he’s not cut out for a full starter’s role at this point in the season. Connelly Early and Payton Tolle both got tagged by Drake Baldwin to start games one and two, but they settled in nicely. As it currently stands, the two rookies are the brightest spots of the Red Sox’s rotation. They carry themselves like veterans and have an infectious energy each time they step on the mound. Game one ended in an extra-inning walk-off for the Braves, but the Red Sox were mostly in it despite some defensive miscues from Caleb Durbin at the hot corner. Game two saw Tolle toss eight innings of three strikeout baseball, but the defense behind him picked him up and made sure he secured the win. Game three was over by the end of the first inning. In other news, Trevor Story landed on the injured list with a sports hernia during this series. Website Highlights Payton Tolle Has Earned A Long-Term Spot In the Red Sox’s Rotation by Nick John The Red Sox Are One of Baseball’s Fastest Teams, but Gosh Are They Bad At Manufacturing Runs by Maddie Landis Red Sox must Balance Andruw Monasterio’s Bat & Glove Following Trevor Story’s Injury by Gottie Chavez Wilyer Abreu Has Covered Up His Greatest Weakness This Season by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead May 18: Red Sox (Sonny Gray) @ Royals (Seth Lugo): 7:40 PM EDT May 19: Red Sox (Ranger Suarez) @ Royals (Kris Bubic): 7:40 PM EDT May 20: Red Sox (Connelly Early) @ Royals (Michael Wacha): 7:40 PM EDT May 22: Twins @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT May 23: Twins @ Red Sox: 4:10 PM EDT May 24: Twins @ Red Sox: 1:35 PM EDT View full article

There was a lot of confusion around the league when the Boston Red Sox inked Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one year, $6 million contract late in the offseason. The thought was that he didn’t make much sense as a veteran addition to a team that had rookie Marcelo Mayer, Caleb Durbin, Nate Eaton, and an injured Romy Gonzalez already under contract for the season. Sure, he’s a veteran presence in a very young clubhouse but at what cost? Mayer needs to be playing at second every day, even against left-handed pitchers, and Gonzalez is looking to return in just over a month if Chad Tracy still believes that Mayer needs a platoon partner at the keystone. It’s time for the Red Sox to cut their losses and move on from Isiah Kiner-Falefa. If we just look at the numbers, they paint the picture of a veteran who is likely past his prime and struggling with the looks he’s given. He’s only played in 19 games with 42 plate appearances. He’s currently slashing .205/.244/.205 with a zero fWAR and a 23 wRC+. If you look at his Baseball Savant page, he’s not qualified for any of the batting metrics but the stats we have are less than ideal. When he’s at the plate, he’s striking out just 16.7% of the time, but his walk rate is an abysmal 4.8%. His chase rate is 44.4% and he’s only barreling 3.1% of the pitches he makes contact with. He’s as close to an automatic out as you can be at this point in his career. He’s starting against left-handed starters as Mayer is eased into the role of an every day big leaguer, but Mayer has looked at least competent against most southpaws he’s been allowed to face. Any at-bat that Kiner-Falefa is taking from Mayer is doing a disservice to Mayer’s growth and the future of the organization. There was some hope, before the news of Garrett Crochet’s injury broke, that when Nate Eaton was called up at the end of April that maybe Kiner-Falefa had been DFA’d, but that wasn’t meant to be at the time. The saving grace in all of this is Romy Gonzalez is nearing his return to the club. He’s responded well to his shoulder surgery and has been playing catch and taking grounders during the most recent homestand. While he’s not close to game action yet, he’s started baseball activities and that means the next step should be a rehab assignment with a minor league club. Once Gonzalez is big league ready, it’s likely safe to assume that a Kiner-Falefa DFA would be the most logical corresponding move. Gonzalez has been a contributor to this team in recent seasons and has both a higher floor and ceiling than Kiner-Falefa possesses at this point in his career. Romy mashes left-handed pitchers and plays valuable defense at all infield positions. His skillset makes Kiner-Falefa a redundant, and expensive, bench piece that will only see his playing time decrease once the season heats up in late June. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa is a journeyman utility player that has put together a decent professional career. While he was likely brought in due to the nature of Gonzalez's injury, he should be the first name called once Romy is ready to join the big league club. Kiner-Falefa’s skillset is obviously diminishing and he’s taking time away from younger players who need more exposure to at-bats during major league action. It’s rare for Craig Breslow to admit when he made a mistake, but he can save a bit of face by releasing Kiner-Falefa the second Romy Gonzalez is ready to join the club. View full article

While there hasn’t been much going right for the Boston Red Sox so far this season, arguably the biggest bright spot has been Wilyer Abreu. Defensively, Abreu has been his usual self by making amazing catches in right field to help prevent runs from scoring. He’s well on his way to winning his third straight Gold Glove this season, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Yet the best part of his 2026 season has been that the platoon training wheels have now been taken off, and he’s finally able to fully showcase what he’s capable of doing on the offensive side of the baseball. As of the week of May 11, Abreu is slashing .295/.377/.473 with a .375 wOBA, 134 wRC+, and 1.4 fWAR over 39 games. He’s launched six home runs, stolen three bases, and added 18 RBIs to his ledger. Dive a bit deeper, and we can see that Abreu has been absolutely dominant against left-handed pitchers. He’s come up to bat 48 times against southpaws and is slashing .372/.417/.488 with a .400 wOBA and 150 wRC+. He’s only hit one home run and has five RBIs when hitting against same-handed pitchers, but he’s getting on base at a massive clip and that puts him in position to score runs. We’re seeing a few different factors that contribute to his success against lefties at the plate. First, Abreu has actually slowed down his bat speed from last season from 74.1 MPH to 73.6 MPH. While this isn’t a huge change, it’s enough that it’s allowing him to leave the head of his bat in the zone for longer. He’s squaring up 30.8% of all of his swings this season, good for the second-best rate in his career. The bat speed isn’t the only difference this season, though. He’s currently standing the shallowest he’s ever been in the box at 29.6”, up from 31.4” when he entered the league in 2023. He’s widened his stance from 30.6” last season to 33.3” this season and has opened up his stance by three degrees from 25 degrees open to 28 degrees open. What explains his uptick across the board against southpaws though is that he’s now standing 27.3” off the plate. This, along with his slightly slower swing, allows for the sweet spot of his bat to travel through the zone for longer. While we haven’t quite seen the power he's accustomed to, he’s hitting screaming line drives into gaps that allow him to reach extra bases. The one knock against his new mechanics is that he’s lowered his attack angle from nine degrees last year to seven degrees this year while upping his tilt from 31 degrees to 33 degrees. In a perfect world, that slight change in tilt would force Abreu to get the ball in the air more, but his attack angle is forcing the ball to play lower once it leaves his bat. He’s also altered his attack direction from one degree to the pull-side to one degree to the opposite field. We all know that playing in Fenway Park for left-handed hitters means that to become great at home, you need to become friends with The Green Monster and learn how to use it. The stats show us that Abreu, while not quite driving the ball to the Monster, is at least starting to spray hits to left field. As he finds a harmony between his new mechanics, then we’ll likely start to see him punish the Monster when he’s not pulling home runs to the bullpen at home. This season almost felt like a make-or-break season for Wilyer Abreu, even with his defensive accomplishments. We needed to see him take multiple at-bats against left-handed pitchers and perform well in those situations. So far, so good on that front. In fact, he’s been outstanding. The Red Sox are underperforming, but so is pretty much the entire American League. If Abreu stays hot, he can be the spark that finally gets this team out of the gutter. Maybe it’s even time to re-explore those extension talks from last season, but that’s a conversation for another day. View full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 26 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 19 Standings: 5th in AL East 9.5 GB First Place Transactions: 05/06/26: Red Sox optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Worcester Red Sox. 05/06/26: Red Sox activated RHP Sonny Gray from the 15-day injured listed. 05/06/26: Red Sox sent RHP Justin Slaten on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 05/07/26: Red Sox recalled C Mickey Gasper from Worcester Red Sox. 05/07/26: Red Sox signed free agent RHP Raymond Burgos to a minor league contract. 05/07/26: Red Sox placed LF Roman Anthony on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 5, 2026. Right wrist sprain. 05/08/26: Red Sox recalled RHP Jack Anderson from Worcester Red Sox. 05/08/26: Red Sox optioned LHP Jake Bennett to Worcester Red Sox. 05/09.26: Red Sox optioned RHP Jack Anderson to Worcester Red Sox. 05/09/26: Red Sox activated RHP Justin Slaten from the 15-day injured list. 05/09/26: Red Sox signed free agent RHP Leonel Figuera to a minor league contract. 05/09/26: Red Sox signed free agent RHP Juan Verdus to a minor league contract. Scores: Game 34 (05/04): BOS 5, DET 4 Game 35 (05/05): BOS 10, DET 3 Game 36 (05/06): BOS 4, DET 0 Game 37 (05/07): BOS 4, TB 8 Game 38 (05/08): BOS 2, TB 0 Game 39 (05/10): BOS 1, TB 4 Series Breakdown/Highlights Tigers Series: The beginning of the week saw three straight games of the best baseball the Red Sox have played all season. Granted, they lucked out by two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal going on the injured list before game one, but they took advantage of a gifted situation and won a game that shouldn’t have been a one-run victory. Garrett Whitlock allowed two runs in the eighth inning to give everyone a bit of an uneasy feeling, but Payton Tolle was able to lock up his first major-league win after pitching through a torrential downpour for two innings by turning in the best start of his career. He threw seven innings of two-run baseball, neither earned, while striking out eight. Game two is where we saw the fireworks, in more ways than one. The Red Sox have always had a propensity for picking up pitcher tells and pitch grips when they are on second and Tuesday was no exception. The Red Sox tagged starter Framber Valdez for seven earned runs, four of those being home runs. Valdez gave up back-to-back moonshots to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, then promptly threw at Trevor Story. Benches cleared, Valdez was ejected, and the Red Sox kept rolling. Overshadowed by the offense was just how good Brayan Bello was coming in after an opener for game two. He tossed seven innings with seven strikeouts, one walk, and one earned run. The finale of the series saw Sonny Gray return from the injured list and pitched decently against the Tigers. The team secured their first series sweep of the season against a team that is penciled in to win their division, even if their ace wasn’t able to pitch during it. Rays Series: We had our first reschedule due to rain during the series against the Rays. The Saturday game will be made up on July 17. Game one saw rookie Jake Bennett get tagged for four runs, but the Red Sox fought to stay in the game. Unfortunately for them, Greg Weissert and Ryan Watson had other plans. They allowed four more Rays to score and the late game push to even things up came up short. In game two, the Sox kept the Fenway Green magic rolling by shutting out the Rays behind seven innings and eight strikeouts from Connelly Early. The rookie southpaw showed he was the correct option to take Johan Oviedo’s rotation spot at the end of spring training and is mostly trending up with each start. The reschedule gave Payton Tolle another day of rest but he couldn’t score runs on his own. He gave up three earned, but the eye test looked far better than what the line showed. Unfortunately, Willson Contreras was hit on the hand early in the game and was replaced by Andruw Monasterio. Scans on Willson’s hand came back negative, but manager Chad Tracy said he was very sore. They’ll reevaluate him on the Monday off day and move forward with that information. If there’s one player the Red Sox can’t afford to lose right now, it’s Contreras. Website Highlights Red Sox Minor League Recap: Anthony Eyanson’s Dominance Continues Despite Shaky Red Sox Affiliates by Ben Lofy Boston Red Sox Minor League Pitchers of the Month: April 2026 by Nick John Red Sox Report Cards: Grading Every Boston Pitcher for March/April by Ryan Salvaggio Justin Slaten is More Than Ready For His Return to Boston by Nick John Looking Ahead May 12: Phillies (Zack Wheeler) @ Red Sox (TBD): 6:45 PM EDT May 13: Phillies (Andrew Painter) @ Red Sox (Sonny Gray): 6:45 PM EDT May 14: Phillies (Jesus Luzardo) @ Red Sox (Ranger Suarez): 6:45 PM EDT May 15: Red Sox @ Braves: 7:15 PM EDT May 16: Red Sox @ Braves: 7:15 PM EDT May 17: Red Sox @ Braves: 1:35 PM EDT View full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 2-4 Runs Scored Last Week:13 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 21 Standings: 5th in AL East 10 GB First Place Transactions: 04/29/26: Red Sox recalled OF Nate Eaton from Worcester Red Sox. 04/29/26: Red Sox placed LHP Garrett Crochet on the 15-day injured list retroactive to 04/26/26. Left shoulder inflammation. 04/30/26: Red Sox optioned OF Nate Eaton to Worcester Red Sox. 05/01/26: Red Sox recalled LHP Jake Bennett from Worcester Red Sox. Scores: Game 28 (4/27): BOS 5, TOR 0 Game 29 (4/28): BOS 0, TOR 3 Game 30 (4/29): BOS 1, TOR 8 Game 31 (5/01): BOS 3, HOU 1 Game 32 (5/02): BOS 3, HOU 6 Game 33 (5/03): BOS , HOU 3 Series Breakdown/Highlights Blue Jays Series: The Red Sox never really looked overmatched by Dylan Cease during the first game of the series. Ranger Suarez was magical for the Sox, tossing eight scoreless innings, giving up only one hit while striking out 10 on the night. The offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders against one of the better starters in the league and maybe, just maybe, there was some hope for a turnaround on the horizon. Then games two and three happened. The offense fell back into their ways of not working at-bats, leaving the top half of innings in 10 pitches or less on more than one occasion. Trey Yesavage out-dueled Payton Tolle, who was clearly laboring through arm fatigue after pitching just four days prior, in game two. Then, game three gave us another forgettable outing from Brayan Bello, who looks like a shell of the Bello we saw last season. Astros Series: The Fenway Greens were out in full force during game one of the series. The game was circled on some people’s calendars solely because the pitching matchup had ‘TBD’ for the opener instead of Garrett Crochet. He landed on the 15-day IL with left shoulder inflammation and LHP Jake Bennett was called up to make the start. He pitched well, tossing five innings one one-run baseball while striking out three. Jarren Duran’s bat seemed to finally be waking up as he was good for all three runs the Sox scored in the victory after he put a three-run home run into the seats behind the home bullpen. On Saturday though, Connelly Early looked far from sharp. He surrendered five earned runs over four innings, mostly due to the fact he couldn’t command his pitches at all during the outing. In the final game of the series, Duran was responsible for the lone run with another home run, but Zack Kelly allowed two runs in extra innings to let the game slip away. Ranger Suarez was pitching well, striking out three through four innings but as he walked off the field after the fourth, he seemed to tell Andrew Bailey that he wasn’t going back out. It later was revealed that he was removed due to right hamstring tightness. The bigger story of the entire series was that the Red Sox couldn’t do anything with runners in scoring position. The Astros were begging them to score runs in both game two and three and the Red Sox just couldn’t do it. The bases were loaded multiple times in both games and the team couldn’t do anything to get runners across. Website Highlights Chad Tracy Knows the Red Sox’s Immediate Bullpen Answers Lie in Worcester by Nick John Red Sox Copium: Can an MLB Team Fire Its Manager and Still Make the Playoffs by Maddie Landis Pitching at a Premium: Do the Red Sox Have Enough to Survive Crochet’s Shoulder Injury? by Ryan Salvaggio Brayan Bello’s Struggles Won’t be Easily Fixed by a New Red Sox Coaching Staff by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead May 4: Red Sox (Payton Tolle) @ Tigers (TBD): 6:40 PM EDT May 5: Red Sox (Brayan Bello) @ Tigers (TBD): 6:40 PM EDT May 6: Red Sox (TBD) @ Tigers (TBD): 6:40 PM EDT May 7: Rays @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT May 8: Rays @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT May 9: Rays @ Red Sox: 4:10 PM EDT May 10: Rays @ Red Sox: 1:35 PM EDT View full article

Much like most of the offense, the Boston Red Sox's pitching staff left quite a bit to be desired in April. For a team that was built around elite starting pitching, the rotation has been surprisingly ineffective thus far. As the month closed the top two arms in the rotation, Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, were on the injured list and were working their way back to form. That leaves us a limited group of pitchers to choose from, but there are a few standouts who deserve their flowers for trying to hold things together before May. Ranking Red Sox's Best Pitchers In April #3: Aroldis Chapman Chapman gets the number three spot because he’s seen fairly limited action, but he’s been mostly solid when called upon. For the month of April, he posted a 1.35 ERA, 2.25 FIP, a 12.15% K/9, and a 4.05 BB/9. He’s been less sharp than he was last year, but he’s still a dependable closer for the team. There was some initial concern about his lack of velocity early in the season, but he’s been ramping back up to his usual high-90s fastball that tops out above 100 mph when he needs it to. What’s interesting is he seems to be throwing his off-speed pitches a bit more this year instead of just reaching back and throwing gas, so he may be looking to ease some of the stress that years of hurling fireballs has put on his left arm. #2: Connelly Early Early appeared in five games in April and posted a 3.08 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 7.52 K/9, 4.10 BB/9, and an impressive 42.5% groundball percentage. The rookie southpaw has been arguably the most consistent arm throughout April and posted the best start of his career against the Orioles to close the month out. He’s lost a bit of velocity this season, but has showcased his ability to get into the upper-90s when necessary. The biggest knock against Early right now is that he seems quite impacted by the weather on his start days, and he’s sometimes struggled to get past the fourth inning, even when things are going well. That being said, he’s shown a ton of potential so far this season and has the makings of a top-of-the-rotation arm as long as he can remain durable enough to turn over a lineup more than twice. #1: Ranger Suarez Suarez had a rough start to the season, but he has settled down nicely to end the month. He turned in a 2.35 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in April, posting a 2.66 FIP, 1.0 fWAR, and a .208 BABIP. He left 72% of runners on base during the month and worked deep into a handful of games. It’s likely no coincidence that the team’s strongest offers often coincided with Suarez’s best starts of the season. He’s almost the antithesis of the program that Craig Breslow and Andrew Bailey are running; he’s not a fireballer and his K/9 only sits at 7.63 for the month, but he’s effective at getting groundball outs, so long as the defense behind him plays up to par. Suarez felt like a panic signing after the team missed on bringing back Alex Bregman but as April waged on, we started to see the same version of Suarez that helped bring the Phillies to the postseason over the last few seasons. While his contract may be a bit of an albatross in a few years, if he’s going to continue to produce numbers like he did in April, then he’s going to be someone that fans enjoy supporting while he’s on the mound, regardless of what happens during the games he doesn’t start. Not all hope has been lost in Boston, as Crochet and Gray are both nearing their returns and as long as they are able to pitch like we’ve seen in the past, then the Red Sox should be in a better place. The offense can’t be ice cold forever, so everyone on this list should get ample opportunities to either put games away or pitch their way late into games behind multiple runs of support. Chapman, Early, and Suarez weren’t the only bright spots on the pitching side of things, but their performances in April offered the kind of optimism that has been sorely lacking over the past six weeks. View full article

The month of April is likely one that most members of the Boston Red Sox are hoping to forget; enough members of the team underperformed to the point that Alex Cora and the bulk of his coaching staff lost their jobs during the last weekend of the month. Since then, the team has played .500 baseball thanks to the offensive production from a handful of guys that are trying to put the team on their backs. It's a long road between now and contention, but Chad Tracy has seemingly inspired a bit more fire from the roster. There weren't a ton of candidates for this award, but three players in particular stood out for the offensive steadiness in an otherwise difficult month. Ranking Red Sox's Best Hitters in April #3: Ceddanne Rafaela The Gold Glove center fielder has proven through the first full month of the season that he has grown as an offensive player and will likely outplay the contract he signed two seasons ago. For the month of April, he slashed .266/.348/.367 with eight RBIs, a 100 wRC+, and a 0.3 fWAR. Where Rafaela has shown the most growth at the plate is in his pitch selection and his ability to work counts in his favor. While his strikeout rate is still higher than you’d like, 23.6%, it’s come down considerably to start the season and he no longer feels like just a guy who can come through in a clutch situation. When he’s standing in the box, you get excited instead of penciling a swinging strikeout most of the time. Both former manager Alex Cora and interim manager Chad Tracy have moved Rafaela up in the lineup and he’s continued to hit. If he keeps this offensive production up, he’s going to make his contract look even more like a bargain by the end of the season. #2: Wilyer Abreu The platoon training wheels have been taken off of Abreu and it’s paying dividends already. He slashed .287/.368/.404 with a 115 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR last month, knocking two home runs while driving in eight runs. He’s looking far more confident at the plate so far this season, and has been great at handling southpaws, hitting over .300 against them prior to May. His swing mechanics are noticeably different against left-handed pitchers—he’s shortened his swing and is getting the head of the bat around to the ball much quicker. Like Rafaela above, he looks more confident at the plate and his strikeout and walk rates prove that, sitting at 17.9% and 11.3%, respectively. His back-to-back Gold Gloves mean he’s locked into the starting right field role for years to come in Boston, but with his bat coming around against all types of pitchers, then he could be playing his way to a contract extension some time during or after the 2026 season. #1: Willson Contreras In what should be a shock to absolutely nobody, Contreras has been the best hitter on the Red Sox during the start to the season. For the month of April he slashed .289/.387/.556 with seven home runs, 20 RBIs, and a 157 wRC+, adding up to 1.3 fWAR. His offensive approach is feast or famine; he’s striking out 29.2% of the time, but when he’s making contact, he’s doing damage. He’s been the spark in the lineup during almost every series so far, and even when he went cold for a couple of weeks, his personality helped keep his teammates in games. He has been the best addition that Craig Breslow made during the offseason without a doubt, and this team would likely be in (worse) shambles if it wasn’t for him. His play at first base has been a breath of fresh air and the passion he brings to each game, even if it’s sometimes a bit overboard when the Brewers are involved, is something this team desperately needs. There’s not been too much to enjoy through April for the Red Sox, but these three hitters are all showing that we have something to look forward to if the front office and Chad Tracy can figure out how to get the most out of this roster. No one had the Red Sox being this bad on their bingo card, but it's a long season. More of the same from Rafaela, Abreu, and Contreras can only help push Boston back into relevancy. View full article