Alex Mayes

@mvp 78 @drewski6 @moonslav59 the episode is live! Shoutout to @Nick John for his help on the catcher question!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record as of late, the Boston Red Sox are awful in 2026. It’s a shame coming off a postseason appearance in 2025 that should have pointed president of baseball operations Craig Breslow in the right direction. Even the free-agent signings believed they were coming into a situation where they would “breeze to get to the playoffs," at least according to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He even went on to say that his goal with signing in Boston was to be a bench player for a championship team, so even those who weren’t with the organization last year saw the direction the team should have been headed. “Should” is the operative word in that sentence. We’re now no longer in ‘well it’s still early’ territory, and the Red Sox are what they are as we approach the halfway point of the season. In an effort not to mince words: They are a sub .500 team that struggles at home and seems to be allergic to hitting with runners in scoring position. It’s the end of June and the season already feels lost. The team can’t keep up in a middling American League Wild Card race and, even if they somehow managed to limp their way into that third spot, they’d be certainly eliminated in short order. With all of that being said, the most obvious path forward for the Red Sox is to let Craig Breslow go sooner than later. Breslow is an excellent pitching coordinator. He’s drafted and developed some of the best arms that the organization has seen in years, but that’s about as far as his credentials go. He terminated most of the scouting department during the first 18 months of his tenure and the big-league club has suffered mightily from it. The team that is on the field day in and day out for the Red Sox can’t function properly as a major-league team. There’s far too many utility players with everyday roles, there’s almost zero power outside of Willson Contreras, and the bullpen has been incredibly leaky outside of Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock. I’m not going to sit here and rehash the firing of Alex Cora and the majority of his coaching staff, but that gave us a bit of a peak behind the curtain as to the true feelings of Fenway Sports Group’s opinion of Breslow. The morning after the firings, Breslow sat at a table next to Sam Kennedy and said that the decision to move on from Cora and crew was a mutual decision. Within seconds, Kennedy pinned the decision solely on Breslow. Ownership signed off on it, of course, but they essentially looked at Breslow and said, “Okay, you can do this, but just know there’s no one else to be the fall guy if things don’t get better.” To absolutely no one’s surprise, things have arguably gotten worse. Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony have spent significant time on the injured list, Jarren Duran looks like a shell of himself at the plate, and the catching situation is maybe the most confusing roster dilemma in all of baseball. Speaking of the catching situation, it paints a clearer picture for how Breslow didn’t learn anything from the drama that surrounded Rafael Devers last season. It was reported time and time again that Devers wasn’t spoken to about his changing roles, then when he was approached about possibly moving to first base he was combative because he felt he had been disrespected and blindsided. Now, Carlos Narvaez has spoken to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey about how his playing time has been diminished but he hadn’t been told anything by either Chad Tracy or someone in the front office. Breslow recognizes that communication isn’t a strong point of his, but it’s gotten to the point that, according to Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, multiple officials within the organization believe that Breslow would benefit from having a “baseball interpreter” to convey his overall message to the players. This shouldn't need to be said, but the freaking President of Baseball Operations shouldn’t need someone else to convey his message and vision to the team. If Craig Breslow can’t effectively communicate, then he doesn’t need to be in a position of leadership with the team. What should be the final nail in the coffin for Breslow is the fact that his past two trade deadlines have been absolutely abysmal. I took at look at those deadlines to see if we could figure out what direction Breslow is going to take in 2026 and came up with the following: He struggles to pick a lane and ends up putting the team in a much worse position because of it. To add onto that, ESPN’s Buster Olney went so far as to say that “someone in ownership” was picking up the phone to talk trades with other clubs. While it shouldn’t come as a surprise that ownership has to be involved to sign off on any big trades that occur, they shouldn’t have to be the ones making the calls to get conversations started. Ownership should only be involved at the finish line of a trade, since they need to approve the money moving in each direction. If they don’t trust their front office chief enough to let him negotiate his own trades, why does he still have a job? If he can’t handle one of the most important aspects of his role, he doesn’t need to occupy space in the front office anymore. Fenway Sports Group has publicly backed Craig Breslow so far this season, and they pretty much have to publicly. They can’t come out and say that they are considering firing him; that’s not practical nor the way you run a business. Remember, they made similar comments around this same time about both Chaim Bloom and Dave Dombrowski during their eventual final seasons with the team. It finally seems like John Henry is frustrated with the direction of the Red Sox if both Sean McAdam and David Ortiz are to be believed. If that’s the case, then the difficult decision needs to be made to move on from Craig Breslow now. If they wait much longer, they run the risk of a trade deadline that is mishandled and delay the ability to start looking for his replacement prior to the 2027 lockout. The time to act is now. View full article

Hello again forums! @Maddie Landis and I really enjoyed the questions that were submitted for our mailbag episode last week. The questions gave us some excellent talking points and were incredibly engaging. We saw a good amount of success with them with the episode as well to the point that the other Diamond Centric podcasts are starting to integrate them into their own shows. After talking with Brock a bit, we've decided to make them a weekly feature moving forward. Our recording schedule this week is a bit wonky, we're recording Thursday night instead of our typical Sunday/Monday schedule so that's why this post is going up now. If you've got questions, we may have answers! Post your questions below and we'll kick off the episode answering them! We'll put the cutoff for questions at 3 pm CST on Thursday, June 25.

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 2-4 Runs Scored Last Week: 16 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 19 Standings: 5th in AL East 14.5 GB First Place Transactions: 06/16/26: Boston Red Sox sent 1B Romy Gonzalez on a rehab assignment to Portland Sea Dogs. 06/17/26: Boston Red Sox sent LHP Patrick Sandoval on a rehab assignment to Portland Sea Dogs. 06/20/26: Boston Red Sox recalled 2B Anthony Seigler from Worcester Red Sox. 06/20/26: Boston Red Sox placed 2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 19, 2026. Left forearm inflammation. Scores: Game 70: BOS 1, TOR 6 Game 71: BOS 0, TOR 3 Game 72: BOS 3, TOR 4 Game 73: BOS 6, SEA 2 Game 74: BOS 5, SEA 1 Game 75: BOS 1, SEA 3 Series Breakdown/Highlights Blue Jays Series: My mother always told me if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Unfortunately, we have to talk about this putrid series. In game one, Payton Tolle wasn’t awful, but he wasn’t great. He tossed five innings of three run baseball while striking out six and issuing two walks. He seems to have hit a bit of a wall in June, pitching his way to a 3.71 ERA for the month so far. That’s not bad, but it’s a full earned run more than what he had been bringing to the table earlier in the season. Still, he’s a rookie and he’s finding his footing at the MLB level. He’s going to be a stud for this team for years to come. Offensively, this game was a joke. The Red Sox had eight hits but could only plate one run on a garbage time Jarren Duran home run. In game two, it was more of the same. The team had seven hits but was unable to plate any runs, despite the fact that they had ducks in the pond seemingly every inning. Jake Bennett’s line looks worse than his performance on the field, but he did give up two of Toronto’s two earned runs. Maybe the lone bright spot was that Tyron Guerrero continues to light up the radar gun and is likely jumping up trade boards across the league. Game three seems like it was close but if you watched it, it wasn’t. The wind wreaked havoc at Fenway Park during the entire time. Sonny Gray tossed seven innings of three-run baseball while striking out four. Somehow, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin came through to tie the game in the eighth inning, but defensive miscues extended the top of the ninth to allow the Jays to score and ultimately charged Aroldis Chapman with the loss. The bottom of the ninth was typical Red Sox baseball — it was over in five pitches. Not even five pitches from top-tier closer Louis Varland; five pitches from Mason Fluharty. Mariners Series: Much like the rest of the season, the Red Sox played better on the road than they did at home. The pitching matchups didn’t favor the Sox; they were seeing the top of the Mariners’ rotation, but they had mostly patient at-bats that made the multiple top arms of Seattle pay. In game one, Ranger Suarez carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. The offense erupted for six runs and Caleb Durbin stayed hot with another homer. Greg Weissert looked solid but Ryan Watson allowed two earned runs. Marcelo Mayer was originally not in the starting lineup due to illness but was a last minute addition and provided three RBIs. Carlos Narvaez put some good swings on the ball in hopes of getting more playing time. Game two saw Connelly Early start off shaky but he ended up striking out seven over six innings, allowing only one earned run. Wilyer Abreu got the party started for the Sox with a huge two-run homer while both Mayer and Durbin provided one RBI each. This game saw Ceddanne Rafaela get a much needed rest as the team gears up to head to the giant outfield of Coors Field to kick off next week. Guerrero was his usual flamethrowing self out of the bullpen, while Garrett Whitlock and Danny Coulombe both worked clean innings. Unfortunately, game three didn’t complete the West Coast sweep. The offense managed just one run on a Nate Eaton second deck solo shot. It was Abreu’s turn for a rest day on Sunday, only his second one of the season. Tolle pitched his way into and out of a couple of jams, going six innings with two strike outs, two walks, and three earned runs. He was the victim of some defensive lapses though, and looked mostly solid throughout his start. Coulombe and Watson both pitched well to keep the game within reach out of the bullpen. Website Highlights Ranking Red Sox’s Best Closer Candidates if Aroldis Chapman is Traded by Ben Lofy The Definitive Case for the Red Sox to Trade Jarren Duran by Alex Mayes Ceddanne Rafaela is Succeeding by Breaking One of Hitting’s Most Basic Rules by Yirsandy Rodriguez Looking Ahead 06/22/26: Red Sox (Jake Bennett) @ Rockies (Ryan Feltner): 8:40 PM EDT 06/23/26: Red Sox (Sonny Gray) @ Rockies (Sean Sulivan): 8:40 PM EDT 06/24/26: Red Sox (Ranger Suarez) @ Rockies (Kyle Freeland) 3:10 PM EDT 06/25/26: Yankees @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT 06/26/26: Yankees @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT 06/27/26: Yankees @ Red Sox: 1:10 PM EDT 06/28/26: Yankees @ Red Sox: 7:20 PM EDT Sunday Night Baseball View full article

Welcome to Talk Sox! I agree with you, take whatever you can get for him at this point. I do like the idea of packaging him with either Gray or Chapman though to up a return even more. The Phillies need starter and outfield help. Gray would fit that rotation well. The Padres have been sniffing around Chapman and need help in the outfield too. The question then becomes what are either Dombrowski or Preller willing to part with that helps the Red Sox.

I like that idea quite a bit.

I considered both for the list but opted for the names above. I think they both are in the “possibly could be traded” bucket with Guerrero closer to the top of it. His value likely lies somewhere between what the Sox gave up for Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia a couple of seasons ago. I’ve been advocating for the team to option Weissert instead of trade him because if he gets right then he is a huge piece moving forward. I’d rather see him try to get right here than deal him somewhere else where he will somehow turn into Mason Miller 2.0 with our luck.

The American League is an absolute mess, and yet the Boston Red Sox find themselves on the outside looking in and even further behind in the AL East standings after being swept at home by the Blue Jays. They are 0-39 in games in which they trail by three and, once they return to Fenway Park, seem to forget how to play cohesive baseball on a daily basis. It feels like we’re quickly approaching the “pivot” that President and CEO of the Red Sox Sam Kennedy spoke about just last week. The negativity is growing louder and louder with each loss, and the players you’d expect to be the most outspoken about it are nowhere to be found when the cameras are on in the clubhouse. Craig Breslow seems to be keeping an eye on buying at the deadline, but that pathway feels like the worst possible decision given the direction this team is headed. While there is time before any final decisions have to be made, the Red Sox look like clear sellers at this point and these names are the most likely to be involved. Ranking Red Sox Trade Chips We'll rank these players by group, starting with those who are certain to be gone and ending with those who should be super-glued to the locker room beneath Fenway. Definitely Will Be Traded CL Aroldis Chapman Team Control: Through 2026 with 40 inning vesting option for 2027 2026 Stats: 21 G, 14 S, 23.5 K-BB%, 0.9 fWAR Chapman has seen a career resurgence since signing with the Red Sox before the 2025 season, but his time in Boston is likely coming to an end sooner than later. He’s almost guaranteed to represent the Sox in the All-Star Game this year (if he is still on the team by then). Even though he was tagged with the loss in the series finale against the Blue Jays, he’s arguably the best closer in the American League. When he’s officially put on the trade block, he will be the best reliever available and contending teams will likely line up to acquire his 100+ mph fastball for a late season push. The last time Chapman was moved, from the Royals to the Rangers, he wasn’t nearly the player he has been over the last season and a half but he still netted LHP Cole Ragans in return. If the goal is to retool the upper minor leagues with players who can contribute next season, there’s no better trade chip than the future Hall of Famer himself. SP Sonny Gray Team Control: Through 2026, Mutual Option for 2027 2026 Stats: 12 G, 3.53 FIP, 13.7 K-BB%, 1.1 fWAR Gray has been an incredibly bright spot for the Red Sox for the majority of the season. He has started focusing on his “Dr. Spin” persona and throwing stuff with some ridiculous movement. It’s allowed him to generate a ton of swing and miss during his starts while inducing weak contact when the batter does manage to put the ball in play. In turn, he’s pitching deep into most games and is turning in quality start after quality start. The appeal of Gray is that he’s a dependable veteran that will come relatively cheap considering the Cardinals are paying half of his salary this season and, once the trade deadline gets here, the Red Sox will have paid more than half of the remaining salary left for this season. He'll be an affordable rental who will provide a spark in the middle of a contender's rotation. Given his status as a starter, he should return a similar (if not better) package than Chapman. Possibly Could Be Traded OF Jarren Duran Team Control: Through 2028 2026 Stats: 66 G, .293 wOBA, 79 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR I’ve already gone in depth on why the Red Sox need to move on from Duran here, so I’m not going to go into a ton of depth with this piece, but it’s time to move on from Duran. Once Roman Anthony returns from the injured list, Duran will be squeezed out of his starting job in left field again. His offensive numbers have taken a nose dive this season, but there’s still glimpses of an every day hitter there. His speed is top tier and will be useful for a contending team down the stretch. The ship has sailed on him returning multiple star prospects, but he'll still fetch a decent price given his remaining team control. UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa Through 2026 2026 Stats: 46 G, .310 wOBA, 90 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR Kiner-Falefa feels like the type of player that this team needed if they were able to repeat last season’s success. He’s a journeyman veteran that plays solid defense and has, almost inexplicably, woken up at the plate and come through in some clutch moments. He has been incredibly vocal with the media over the last few weeks, and seems to almost be the only veteran presence on the defensive side of the ball who is willing to speak on a regular basis. That was a role Rob Refsnyder filled during his tenure with the Red Sox and Kiner-Falefa has stepped into those shoes well this year. He seems to almost be at his wit’s end though, and as the season slips further and further away, he is likely looking at less and less playing time. Moving him in a small trade to clear the remainder of his $6 million off the books is the move here, but his veteran presence may cause him to stick around for the rest of the season. RP Justin Slaten Team Control: Through 2029 2026 Stats: 15 G, 5.57 FIP, 19.7 KK-B%, -0.2 fWAR Slaten has been an interesting case study since he arrived as a trade via the Rule 5 draft in 2023. He has an electric fastball and a curveball that, when it’s on, ranks as one of the top pitches for all relievers. The biggest knock against him has been his health. He has landed on the injured list for stints during every season he’s been with the Red Sox and has typically struggled to return to form once he is activated to the big-league club. He has the potential to be the next closer for the Red Sox but that role is likely occupied by someone else we’ll get to here later. Still, his raw stuff would surely interest some contender in need of high-leverage help. Thanks to his status as a pre-arb player, Slaten should net the Sox something useful, though that cheap team control also makes him an attractive reliever to keep around. 1B Willson Contreras Team Control: Through 2027, Club Option for 2028 2026 Stats: 69 G, .408 wOBA, 157 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR Contreras has been the best hitter on the Red Sox this season, without a doubt. Imagining this season without his presence in the lineup is even more depressing than the current reality. Should Contreras hit the trade block, he would be the best right-handed hitter available on the market and should bring a king’s ransom in return. That being said, the clubhouse would suffer if he was dealt and it would significantly harm the team's chances of bouncing back next year. Contreras is on a fairly friendly deal for the 2027 season with a team option for the 2028 season. He’s finally hitting in a ballpark that suits his swing and he’s been a leader for this club through a down season. While it’s possible he’s traded, I consider it unlikely unless the team is blown away by the offer. C Connor Wong Team Control: Through 2028 2026 Stats: 28 G, .340 wOBA, 111 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR There have already been rumblings that the team is shopping backup catcher Connor Wong, so he had to show up somewhere on this list. He’s played far better than he did during his injury-shortened 2025 season, but he’s failed to live up to the starting catcher potential so many predicted for him after he took the reins of the position after Christian Vazquez was traded in 2022. He’s a serviceable backup catcher at this point in his career, but the fact the team is willing to listen to offers on him indicates that they prefer Mickey Gasper in the backup role, or starter role if recent trends are any indication. Wong won’t net much, but he could be a throw-in piece as part of a larger package returning several prospects. Unlikely To Be Traded OF Wilyer Abreu Team Control: Through 2029 2026 Stats: 70 G, .337 wOBA, 109 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR Abreu is a two-time Gold Glove winner in right field who has finally been moved out of the platoon role and thrived for it. He’s arguably the second-best hitter on the team and should be considered a foundational piece of the organization moving forward. It would be shocking to see the team move off of Abreu, but he'd instantly become the team's most valuable trade chip if they put up him for auction. RP Garrett Whitlock Team Control: Through 2026, Team Options for 2027 and 2028 2026 Stats: 22 G, 2.64 FIP, 23.9 K-BB%, 0.6 fWAR Whitlock is the shining example of everything that can go right with a Rule 5 draft selection. While there is likely going to be a ton of interest in him, he’s far too valuable to the organization as they look to retool to compete in 2027 and beyond. He is likely the closer-in-waiting once the team moves on from Chapman, and he’s proven capable of handling that pressure. Teams in contention would likely pay a high price for Whitlock, and an overpay shouldn’t be ignored, but the best bet is to hang onto him for the remainder of his contract. SS Trevor Story Team Control: Through 2027, Club Option for 2028 2026 Stats: 41 G, .243 wOBA, 45 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR While moving on from Story before the end of his contract makes a ton of sense, he’s making far too much money ($23.33MM AAV) and has spent too much time on the injured list during his stint in Boston for any team to even consider bringing him in mid-season. He has likely lost his starting shortstop role to Marcelo Mayer, so there could be movement on him whenever the offseason gets underway in a pre-lockout world, or even after the lockout comes to an end in 2027, but his deal is almost certainly unmovable at this current juncture. View full article

Sounds like what cost Benintendi what seemed like a promising career too.

I actually think Roman would thrive at first base and that's his path to being a star in this league. That homer off Sale in spring training was amazing and gave me a lot of hope, then he crashed back down to earth hard. I just don't trust Craig to be the one to flip really any prospects at this point, haha.

This would have been my plan last season, especially with Salas on the table. This year though, I don't know if he's worth any prospects close enough to the majors to make a difference. If they package him with either Chapman or Gray though, you're likely getting something substantial in return, and hopefully a blue chipper in there.

I appreciate the comments! I’ve always said, even though some people don’t believe me, that I like Duran and understand why he wasn’t moved up to this point. I disagree with the reasons, but I get it. I think we’re going to get some teams that get pretty desperate for outfield help after Jo Adell is moved. That’s when whoever is actually running the deadline for the Sox needs to capitalize and ship Duran out as likely part of a package deal for pieces that can impact the team in a more positive way.

His June numbers would beg to differ with that assessment.

I know, I know. We’ve been here before. I’ve discussed trading Jarren Duran here on Talk Sox more than maybe any other topic. There’s sound reasoning behind it, though. Ever since 2024, there has been reason after reason to offload Duran. Now, we sit in the 2026 season mired in mediocrity and not even within sniffing distance of a playoff spot in a weak American League. So now, dear friends, the time has come to make the definitive case for finally trading Jarren Duran away from the Boston Red Sox. In short, Jarren Duran has been awful this season. I recently talked about his struggles during the month of June but it’s no secret that the entirety of 2026 has been abysmal for Duran. He’s slashing .214/.270/.398 with 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. To go along with that awful slash line, he’s striking out 29.4% of the time and is only posting a 79 wRC+, hence his meager 0.7 fWAR. The power is nice, but it's hardly been impactful in an otherwise struggling lineup. He’s tinkered more with his batting stance and leg kick this season than he ever has in the past and it’s messed with his timing so much that he's striking out more than ever. The stolen bases also look good, but Duran also isn’t getting any younger. He’s 29 right now and turns 30 in September. Speed is the first tool to deteriorate as a player ages, and although there hasn't been a massive decline in his sprint speed, it’s been a downward trend for the last two years. Eventually, he'll age out of elite territory in that regard, too. But you all know what I think of him by this point. Leave it to the man himself to succinctly sum up his season in a recent postgame conversation: "Absolutely terrible. I’m gonna be honest with you, I’ve felt terrible. Playing like s*** at the plate. But just got to figure it the f*** out, you know?" And he’s right, he does need to figure it out. There’s no question about that, but he doesn’t need to figure it out in Boston past this trade deadline. The outfield is still jammed, even though Roman Anthony’s injury has allowed Duran ample playing time in left field. When Anthony returns, will Duran go back to primarily playing at designated hitter? The results there have been less than stellar this season. You could argue that Anthony should spend the majority of his starts at DH, but the team didn’t guarantee him a nine-figure sum to just take swings. He needs to be in the outfield on a daily basis. Duran is going to be squeezed back out of his every-day playing time because you’re not going to bench Gold Glovers Ceddanne Rafaela or Wilyer Abreu. Once the entire outfield is healthy again, and that should come right around the trade deadline, Duran is once again the odd man out. If we move away from the actual baseball side of things though, Duran likely just needs a change of scenery to unlock what’s next for him. Boston is a difficult market to perform in and he has struggled with it from time to time throughout his career. He’s used derogatory language and made lewd gestures towards fans, refused to speak to the media in the wake of Alex Cora’s dismissal, and has eschewed a leadership role within the clubhouse. While leadership isn’t for everyone, Duran is now one of the longest tenured players in the organization and there’s a certain expectation that comes along with that in professional sports. He may not ever be a true leader of men, but since the roster is currently constructed with such a focus toward younger players, that’s a role he has to step into more as he gets older. Obviously, the elephant in the room is that every other team can see his terrible numbers as well. What the Red Sox are likely hoping for is that there is a team that is willing to take a chance on him turning things around once he leaves Boston. It’s a gamble worth making, but the return for him is going to be lower than it would have been during the offseason or at the trade deadline last year when the Padres were offering both Dylan Cease and Ethan Salas in return. I'll end with this: Jarren Duran is a good baseball player. I've always believed that, and none of his struggles over the years have ever convinced me otherwise. At the same time, it's clear to me that he's overextended his welcome in Boston. A breakup can be painful, but also healing. It's best to rip that band-aid off now and deal with the fallout later. View full article

@mvp 78 and @Duran Is The Man The episode is live! Thanks for your questions, we hope you both enjoy listening. We're planning to do another one sometime later this season so please, ask more questions then!

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 2-4 Runs Scored Last Week: 29 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 24 Standings: 5th in AL East 13.5 GB First Place Transactions: 06/08/26: Boston Red Sox recalled OF Nate Eaton from Worcester Red Sox. 06/08/26: Boston Red Sox acquired LHP Tyler Davis from the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League. 06/08/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Joe La Sorsa to Worcester Red Sox. 06/09/26: Boston Red Sox optioned 2B Anthony Seigler to Worcester Red Sox. 06/09/26: Boston Red Sox activated RHP Garrett Whitlock from the 15-day injured list. 06/10/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Jake Bennett from Worcester Red Sox. 06/10/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Worcester Red Sox. Scores: Game 64: BOS 1, TB 3 Game 65: BOS 3, TB 4 Game 66: BOS 5, TB 7 Game 67: BOS 10, TEX 1 Game 68: BOS 6, TEX 3 Game 69: BOS 4 , TEX 6 Series Breakdown/Highlights Rays Series: This series against the Rays gave us more of the same that we've become accustomed to here in 2026. The Red Sox got down early, staged a late game comeback, and then ultimately lost each game because either they could plate runners after they got on base or the bullpen couldn’t keep runners from scoring. In game one, Connelly Early tossed another short outing, only going 4.2 innings and giving up two earned runs while striking out six. Marcelo Mayer went deep against another lefty (and off a slider) early in the game, but the rest of the offense couldn’t keep it up. Game two was particularly disheartening, with Payton Tolle turning in a rare weak start. He tossed six innings, striking out three while allowing four earned runs. Garrett Whitlock was reinstated from the injured list and worked a one-strikeout inning. Jarren Duran and Mayer accounted for the three runs Boston scored. Game three didn't bring anything new to the table. Rookie Jake Bennett’s line looks worse than the eye test showed, but the Rays were ready for him. He tossed five innings, allowing four earned runs and four strikeouts. Justin Slaten is arguably the story out of the bullpen as he has now had back-to-back rough outings. The Sox made a late push to make the box score seem closer than it was, but overall, the series as a whole was fairly noncompetitive. Credit to Caleb Durbin, who seems to have found an offensive approach that works. His two home runs in game three were absolute bombs. Rangers Series: Now this is how the Red Sox are supposed to play at Fenway Park. The Sox tagged youngster Jack Leiter for five earned runs and reliever Cal Quantrill kept up his history of plunking Red Sox’s players by hitting both Connor Wong and Willson Contreras. Sonny Gray was great after giving up an earned run in the first inning. He struck out seven over six, giving the bullpen a bit of a much needed rest after the short outings in the Rays series earlier in the week. Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Contreras all went yard in game one to tie a bow on the performance. Game two solidified the series as the Ceddanne Show, as he continued to hit the cover off the ball. He’s started to show that dreaded whiff in his swing that has plagued his career, but he’s still playing out of his mind this season. Duran provided some late insurance runs with a two-run shot in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. Ranger Suarez got BABIP’d quite a bit during his start by allowing six hits, two earned runs, and seven strikeouts over five innings pitched. In the finale on Sunday Night Baseball, Connelly Early turned in the worst start of his career. He allowed 11 hits, six earned runs, two walks, and three strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work. His entire pitch mix didn’t look sharp and the Rangers were ready to pounce on him. The bats went a bit quiet again, except for Contrearas who belted two massive solo home runs off old friend Nathan Eovaldi. Website Highlights Ranger Suarez Isn’t the Pitcher the Red Sox Signed - He’s Better by Yirsandy Rodriguez Red Sox For Sale: Boston’s Top 3 Pieces to Move if They Are Sellers at the Trade Deadline by Ryan Salvaggio Why Craig Breslow’s Past Trade Deadlines Suggest More of the Same for Red Sox in 2026 by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 06/15/26: Off Day 06/16/26: Blue Jays (TBD) @ Red Sox (Payton Tolle): 6:45 PM EDT 06/17/26: Blue Jays (TBD) @ Red Sox (Jake Bennett): 6:45 PM EDT 06/18/26: Blue Jays (TBD) @ Red Sox (Sonny Gray): 1:35 PM EDT 06/19/26: Red Sox @ Mariners: 10:10 PM EDT 06/20/26: Red Sox @ Mariners: 10:10 PM EDT 06/21/26: Red Sox @ Mariners: 4:10 PM EDT View full article

The month of June has not been exceptionally kind to either Jarren Duran or Masataka Yoshida. The Boston Red Sox, naturally, are worse off for it. While Duran had a massive May, it seems like things have gone haywire for him again. His nine home runs last month pointed towards him finally figuring out a batting stance and leg kick combination that made sense for him. He was starting in the outfield on a daily basis and the thought was the consistent playing time was letting him finally find his groove offensively. Yoshida had seen a bit of an uptick in playing time in the wake of Roman Anthony’s finger injury, but so far this month, he has been regulated to occasional pinch hitter duty while mostly being seen wandering around the dugout and taking dry swings as he sits on the bench. It’s gotten so bad that he’s essentially been replaced in the lineup by Mickey Gasper. That’s not totally a knock on Gasper (he’s played well since being promoted in May), but he’s a journeyman, Quadruple-A level of player who is already falling back to earth after his hot start. Before we dive into what may be going on for both outfielders, let’s take a look at their numbers so far in June. Jarren Duran: .167/.167/.286, .194 wOBA, 12 wRC+ 42.9 K%, 0.0 BB%, -0.2 fWAR over 42 at bats Masataka Yoshida: .111/.200/.111 .161 wOBA, -10 wRC+, 30.0 K%, 5.0 BB%, -0.3 fWAR over 20 at bats Duran has looked like a shell of himself at the plate for the majority of the season. It’s not a mirage that he hasn’t walked once and is striking out almost half of the time this month. If we take a step back and look at his swing decisions as a whole over the season, we see that he’s chasing pitches out of the zone at a 35% clip, the most he’s done in his career. To go along with that, his chase contact percentage is down to 38.9% in 2026 from 44% in 2025. Likewise, his whiff percentage has shot up from 24.8% during his career year in 2024 to 35.9% this season. To make matters worse, when he is making contact this month, he’s driving the ball into the ground almost 46 percent of the time; when he's hitting the ball into the air, 37.5% of those are infield fly balls. He’s making weak, ineffective contact the majority of the time when he’s at the plate and the team is suffering because of it. Due to the fact that he’s swinging at less and less first pitches, opposing pitchers are able to get a strike over on him and start him off down in the count. His pitch heatmap shows that most pitchers don’t even have to nibble around the zone to get Duran out. Instead, they are peppering the strike zone against him. Once he’s down, his approach at the plate shifts dramatically and he becomes the free-swinger that aggravated fans in 2021 and 2022 when he was new to the league. Meanwhile, Yoshida’s fall from grace has been long predicted and shouldn’t surprise any astute observer. Former manager Alex Cora arguably played Yoshida more than he should have, neither Chaim Bloom nor Craig Breslow have able to move his contract when it’s best for roster construction to do so, and interim manager Chad Tracy seems to have no desire to get Yoshida any real playing time on a regular basis since taking over the job. Taking that same step back as we did with Duran, we see almost the exact opposite approach. He’s only chasing 28% of the time but he’s making contact on 74.4% of those chases. Even his 2026 whiff percentage is tied for a career low at 14.6%. So what is going on with him? In short, he’s getting nothing to hit and when he does make contact, it’s weak. His pitch heatmap is also the exact opposite from Duran’s. With Duran, we see a hitter who is struggling with pitches in the heart of the zone. With Yoshida, we see someone who is getting fed pitches high in the zone almost exclusively. Yoshida's biggest issue seems to be that he just can’t barrel a baseball to save his life. He’s currently ranked in the sixth percentile for barrel percentage at 1.8%. There’s just nothing productive going on for him when he’s at the plate. He’s not impacting the ball in any meaningful way, and on the off chance he does manage to put something in play, his groundball percentage is right at 50%. Like Duran, he’s driving the ball directly into the ground for easy and weak outs. The question is how can Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida be fixed in 2026? More consistent playing time in the field? Duran has proven that’s not working. Exclusively hitting at designated hitter so they can study mechanics and make alterations in the cage between at-bats? Both have shown that doesn’t work. There’s no easy answer to the question anymore, as both Duran and Yoshida are costing the Red Sox valuable production as they attempt to navigate the rest of this season and beyond. The alternatives are practically nonexistent while Anthony is down, so the Red Sox have little choice but to keep deploying this duo. Barring a turnaround from either, the offense figures to continue being a train wreck in Boston. View full article

Hello forums! Long time reader, first time poster. Some of you may be aware that @Maddie Landis and I host the Talk Sox Podcast and we are set to record our 50th episode Monday night! We thought it would be fun to open the episode up to you all and see if anyone wanted to submit questions for us to answer on the podcast. If you’re interested, drop a comment here and we’ll organize them and have some great conversations around your ideas! Let’s put the cutoff for questions at 3 pm CST on Monday, June 15. Looking forward to answering your questions and chatting with you all!

I had no idea Alan was married!