Nick John

The Boston Red Sox dismembered their coaching staff on the heels of a 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Alex Cora was relieved of his duties. Along with him, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, hitting coach Peter Fatse and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired. Also, Game Planning and Run Prevention Coach Jason Varitek will be reassigned from his position as planning and run prevention coach to a new, currently unannounced position. Cora was in the middle of his three-year extension he negotiated in the second half of 2024. He won 620 games during his time as manager of the Boston Red Sox with 108 of them coming in his first season in 2018. That season culminated in an AL East title along with a World Series championship. Teams under Cora never reached that same level again, missing the playoffs in 2019 before he was suspended for all of 2020 due to his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Upon his return in 2021, Cora led the Red Sox to the American League Championship Series. After that, the team suffered three consecutive losing seasons before making the playoffs in 2025. After a 10-17 start in 2026, the organization decided it was best to part ways with the manager and most of his coaching staff. Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy will take over as interim manager of the Boston Red Sox. Tracy had been the manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox since 2022 and has been viewed as a great up-and-coming manager who is excellent with young players. During his time in Worcester, Tracy managed several of the young players currently on the Red Sox roster including both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer and had been voted the best managerial prospect in both 2023 and 2024. Entering the 2026 season, Tracy had won 309 games as the WooSox manager and had a winning season in each year. So far in 2026 the Worcester Red Sox had a record of 13-11 under him. Prior to joining the Boston organization, Tracy worked in the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2015 through 2021. He also played eight professional seasons in the Rangers, Rockies and Royals organizations. Joining Tracy in Boston will be Chad Epperson as the interim third base coach. Epperson has been the manager of the Portland Sea Dogs since 2022. Collin Hetzler will join the major league hitting staff after being the hitting coach in Worcester since 2025. With this move, the Red Sox appear to be looking to have a manager with a history of developing young players to now handle a roster that is mixed with both young, up-and-coming talent and veteran leadership. What are your thoughts? Is this the right decision? Is it better to do it now, or would it have been better to wait? View full article

When the Boston Red Sox signed Ranger Suárez over the offseason, the plan was simple: pair him alongside Garrett Crochet to form one of the strongest one-two punches in all of baseball. After failing to acquire a true number two at the trade deadline, the Red Sox managed to get their guy in Suárez. However, things did not go as planned right out of the gates. Making three starts in spring training, Suárez only lasted nine innings while allowing 11 runs on 14 hits, three of them being home runs. While it was a batch of exhibition contests and you can’t put too much stock into those numbers, it worried fans. The last time the team spent big on a free-agent pitcher, they had to use Mookie Betts to offload the contract. The last thing anyone wanted was for Suárez to be a bust. Then came the news that, due to the World Baseball Classic, Suárez was lagging behind and continuing to ramp. For your new $130 million pitcher, that wasn’t ideal. How his season debut against the Houston Astros went was even less ideal. Failing to get out of the fifth inning, Suárez allowed four runs on a walk and seven hits including two home runs. His pitches lacked their usual sharpness, as the left-hander allowed seven hard-hit balls into play and struggled to get coax batters into chasing outside the zone. His second start against San Diego may have been worse. Given a 4-0 lead heading entering the fourth inning, Suárez promptly surrendered it, allowing four earned on six hits and two walks in four-plus innings. Not what you wanted from the man who was supposed to be your number two starter. His plan of attack appeared to change completely as well. Whereas in his first start he relied heavily on his cutter, against the Padres he led with his changeup. And yet, just like against Houston, he was pummeled, allowing seven hard-hit balls to a middling lineup. After two rough starts, people wondered if Suárez was entering his decline phase. A 30-year-old with subpar velocity is hardly working with a big margin for error; perhaps the Red Sox had simply bought in at the wrong time. Fortunately, Suárez managed to squash those qualms the next time out. Pitching in St. Louis, Suárez dominated a better-than-expected Cardinals team. With six shutout innings, Suárez kept the Redbirds at bay until the offense finally woke up. Much like his first two starts, his pitch usage changed against the Cardinals as well. This time the sinker was his go-to pitch, tossing it a whopping 46% of the time. For comparison, he had thrown it just 16% of the time in his previous outing. The pitch worked, generating a chase rate of 35% by itself and only allowing two hard-hit balls. Batters were just 1-for-9 against the pitch, and it allowed him to use the rest of his repertoire to keep opposing batters off balance. But it wasn’t until his latest start where Suárez truly showed what he can do. Finding himself in a pitcher’s duel with Casey Mize of the Detroit Tigers, Suárez out-pitched the former No. 1 overall pick by tossing eight shutout innings. He really set the tone in the first inning, as he allowed two hits and had a runner on third base. Once he settled down and got out of it, the game was on. Following the first inning, the Tigers only had one more baserunner via a walk in the fourth inning; after that, Detroit would not have another batter reach base until after Suárez left. Saying it was a dominant performance would be an understatement, as Suárez yet again continued to hold the opponent down while giving his team plenty of attempts to score. The story behind that start was the same as the others: a change in pitch usage. Suárez relied on a mix of his sinker and changeup, using the two pitches 28% and 27% of the time, respectively. The two pitches worked well, as opponents hit just 1-for-12 against them while whiffing 32% of the time they swung. As someone who has never won with velocity or elite stuff, Suárez will continue to tinker with his game plan depending on the opponent. Should he continue to pitch as he did against St. Louis and Detroit, the rotation will be in good hands until it can get back to full strength. The Red Sox were missing someone like Suárez last season when injuries struck the rotation, and the team was forced to rely on rookies to help get them into the playoffs. Now, the team has a veteran with ample experience to help guide the pitching staff through this treacherous stretch. View full article

The 2026 season has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the Boston Red Sox. Their offense has been anemic at times, and their pitching has been wildly inconsistent. Of course, there's always a few bright spots to highlight, including a particular duo in the bullpen. The front office did little to mess with a (mostly) successful formula over the offseason, and the results have been mixed. There have been some disastrous outings (ahem, Greg Weissert), but the group has also been the most stable unit on the team thus far. Specifically, Alex Cora has been able to turn to Jovani Morán and Garrett Whitlock when needed, and more often than not, they’ve come through for him. Of course, with anything in life, there are moments where a sure thing falters, but with the current state of the Red Sox's bullpen, these two may be Cora’s most trusted relievers, save for Aroldis Chapman, who continues to handle the ninth inning during save opportunities. Whitlock's success is hardly surprising. In 2025, he was Cora’s best option out of the pen after struggling early in the season. By the end of the year he was lights out, tossing 72 innings and striking out 91 batters. So far in 2026, the strikeout numbers are even more impressive, as he's punched out 35.3% of opposing hitters while only allowing five hits and two earned runs. The right-hander has kept batters at bay despite having a career high 14.7% walk rate. That’s thanks in part to holding opponents to a .172 batting average. He's especially succeeding terms of contact quality. Over half of the balls in play against him have been on the ground this year, and less than 30% of that contact has been of the hard variety. His sudden inability to get hitters to chase outside the zone has led to the aforementioned spike in his walk rate, but even this less-whiff-heavy version of Whitlock has proven capable of dominating. As for Morán, the left-hander entered the season as a huge question mark, as he spent 2025 recovering from surgery. While he did make a cameo with Boston, Morán was not a certainty to make the Opening Day roster. And after winning one, he’s continued to excel out of the bullpen for Boston. In six outings, Morán has provided length for the Red Sox, as he’s tossed 13 1/3 innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and six walks. He’s also struck out 15 batters thanks to his five-pitch arsenal (with three of them being his main pitches). Tossing a fastball, changeup, cutter, sweeper and curveball, Morán has been able to keep batters guessing and away from hard contact. Entering the week, Moran ranks near the top of major league baseball (93rd percentile) in whiff rate at 36.8% and is in the 91st percentile when it comes to hard-hit rate at 26.7%, hence how he's keeping opposing batters to a minuscule .111 batting average. His FIP is nearly two runs higher than his ERA (1.35) at 3.20, so it can be questioned if he’s been getting a little lucky so far in the season. Then again, he’s still striking opposing batters out at a 29.4% rate, so whatever good fortune he's getting is at least somewhat earned. Having a closer as sturdy as Chapman is valuable for the most obvious reasons. It's the bridge guys who have to keep games close in the middle and late innings that are often the unsung heroes of a win. The presence of Whitlock and Morán in the bullpen is a huge one as the team continues to navigate the loss of Justin Slaten and inconsistency from not just Weissert, but also Ryan Watson and Zack Kelly. View full article

Each of the Boston Red Sox's affiliates have officially played at least a full series now, with Portland having played the least number of games at eight as of the beginning of this week. While Boston has been playing inconsistently, the four minor-league affiliates have allowed fans a chance to enjoy winning baseball while providing a window into the future. With that said, we’re going to look into three of the best players across the organization since the start of the minor-league season, and three players who have been playing less than optimally. Red Sox's Farm System Standouts Anthony Eyanson, Pitcher (7 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 13 strikeouts) To say Eyanson is one of the best prospects in the system two weeks into his professional career may not be an understatement. Drafted in the third round of the 2025 draft, the young right-hander is shaping up to be a steal for the Red Sox. Besides his great stat line from his first two starts, Eyanson is also coming off of a perfect outing. In his latest appearance, the pitcher threw 4 1/3 innings without allowing a runner to reach base while striking out seven batters. While it’s only a matter of time before he surrenders his first walk, Eyanson is currently sitting on a phenomenal strikeout rate of 52% rate without any free passes under his belt. Likewise, batters are only making contact on 53.1% of his pitches while whiffing on roughly 22% of his pitches. If a batter does manage to make contact, they’ve mostly been hitting them into the ground, as seven of the 12 balls put into play have turned into ground balls. The lone fly ball surrendered by Eyanson did turn into a home run, however. While Eyanson is being slowly built up as a pitcher, he’s showing just how dominant he truly can be while holding opposing batters to a .120 batting average. If he continues to pitch like this, it’s only a matter of time until he’s promoted to Portland. Franklin Arias, Shortstop (.588/.636/.706, 2 doubles, 5 RBIs) Arias truly broke onto the scene as a top prospect last season when he hit a combined .278/.335/.388 between Salem, Greenville and Portland. This season, he’s started off even hotter through his first six games. Despite being just 20 years old, the shortstop is not being intimidated by the more advanced pitching in Double-A. Arias is flexing a well-rounded plate approach, walking at a 9.1% rate that matches his strikeout rate. He's a dangerous weapon for any offense looking to put pressure on the defense. When he's putting the ball in play, he’s begun the year hitting it less on the ground. With a ground ball rate of 31.3%, that’s equal to the number of baseballs he’s hitting as fly balls. It’s his line drive percentage that has improved to 37.5%. The change in approach and launch angle could help Arias hit for extra bases despite his lack of over-the-fence power. Though one thing to be weary of is his pull-heavy approach early on. Arias is currently pulling balls to the left side of the field at a career-high 62.5% rate. Whether this is a change in approach or just how opposing teams are pitching him is currently unknown but should be watched as the season continues. Tsung-Che Cheng, Infielder (.316/.447/.711, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs) Cheng has surprised many this season with his play on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he’s always been a solid defender between second base, shortstop and third base and that has continued with Worcester as he’s split time at the former two. In 11 games between the two positions, he’s committed just one error. It’s his offense that has been a surprise, however. The infielder wowed everyone at Polar Park on April 10 when he hit for the first cycle in WooSox history. Based on how he hit last year (.207/.305/.267), no one could have predicted this hot start to the season. Though, one thing that has helped him out is his high walk percentage. So far on the young season, he’s walking nearly 18% of the time while striking out in just under 21% of his at-bats. His numbers have stayed roughly in line with his career for ground ball to fly balls with the young infielder putting the ball on the ground 42.9% of the time, a small drop from his 52.9% rate in 2025. He’s also used the entire field as he’s pulled the ball 32.1% of the time while going the other way on 39.3% of his batted balls. This is the kind of profile that will succeed in the big leagues, so more of the same from Cheng would go a long way toward helping his prospect stock. Red Sox's Farm System Disappointments Jorge Juan, Pitcher (1 2/3 innings, 1 hit, 5 runs, 5 walks, 1 strikeout) Juan is an interesting player who joined Portland after the 2025 season began. He made 22 appearances and wasn’t too bad (4.78 ERA in 32 innings), but he also wasn’t too impressive. Coming into 2026 he hoped to break out, but that hasn't been the case just yet. Making two appearances, Juan struggled in his first outing as he failed to get a single out. Instead, he allowed five earned runs without allowing a hit. He also walked three batters and hit another two. It was a very ugly debut to a season for the pitcher. Fortunately, his second appearance went better, as he tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Unfortunately, that’s been it for the right-handed reliever as he was placed on the injured list. His timetable for a return is currently unknown and by the time he comes back, there may not be room for him depending on how the roster in Greenville looks. Antonio Anderson, Infielder (.067/.211/.067, 2 RBIs) In what is a big year for Anderson, the former third-round pick has struggled to get going. In five games, he’s gone 1-for-15 and been leapfrogged on the team’s depth chart. After starting the two of the first three games of the season, Anderson did not play again until April 9. Anderson is currently striking out at the same rate he walks at, a 15.8% rate. He’s shown an ability to understand the strike zone but has struggled to get base hits on the balls he puts into play (.077 BABIP). That may just be a sign of horrendous luck, but he needs to get going if he wants to continue getting playing time. The good news is he’s been hitting the ball on a line drive more often, representing 30.8% of his batted balls compared to 23.3% in 2025. Unfortunately, it’s led to little success for Anderson. Defensively, it hasn’t gone much better as the infielder has played one game at third base and committed two errors. He’s had better success at first base, but playing time there may be hard to come by with Freili Encarnacion also on the roster. Frederik Jimenez, Utility (.000/.294/.000, 2 RBIs) Jimenez has had a rough start to the season. The only player in the Red Sox organization who’s played that’s yet to get a hit, Jimenez is currently 0-for-11 with eight strikeouts. The young utility player is in his age-21 season and hasn’t appeared to improve much from an offensively challenged 2025 season. Despite a 47.1% strikeout rate, Jimenez is also walking at nearly a 30% rate, though it does little to counteract his lack of hits. Of his batted balls, none have been on the ground, with 66.7% of them being fly balls. The remaining 33.3% were line drives. He’s also had a hard time pulling ball, only doing so 25% of the time while only making contact with the baseball on 48.5% of his swings. Defensively, he’s appeared at first base in all four games he played in. He’s been fine on that side of the ball, making 23 outs and turning three double plays while only committing one error, but his bat needs to get going lest he get quickly lost in the shuffle. View full article

UPDATE: Johan Oviedo is hitting the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Anderson; Tyler Samaniego is being optioned to the minors to clear a spot on the active roster. Original post as follows. In need of bullpen assistance after Monday night’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, the Boston Red Sox have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jack Anderson from Triple-A Worcester, per Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. Anderson, who was a selection in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft back in 2024, spent most of 2025 with the Portland Sea Dogs before making three late season starts for Worcester. 2026 has been an up-and-down year so far for the 26-year-old after pitching for Great Britain during the World Baseball Classic. Since the minor-league season began, he’s made two starts for Worcester tossing 9 2/3 innings. In that span, he’s allowed four runs on eight hits (one home run) and three walks. He also struck out nine. There has yet to be a corresponding roster move; both the active roster and the 40-man roster are currently full and will require reconfiguring to make room for Anderson. View full rumor

It's been a long road back to Boston for Kutter Crawford. This past Saturday, for the first time in 560 days, the 29-year-old right-hander took the mound in a professional baseball game. Crawford, who was a stalwart in the Red Sox's rotation in 2024, missed the entire 2025 season after first dealing with knee issues and then a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist that later required surgery. Pitching in a professional game for the first time since late 2024, there was some obvious rust. Crawford had some good moments and some not so great moments as he pitched three complete innings. He allowed six hits (three home runs), five earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Overall, he threw 60 pitches, 43 for strikes, while his fastball topped out at 93.1 mph. Noticeably, his pitch sequencing was slightly different than the last time he took the mound. Wherein 2024 he used a five-pitch mix consisting of his four-seam fastball, cutter, sweeper, splitter and curveball, Crawford did not toss a single sweeper this time out. More than rust, this may have been due to the fact he rarely uses the pitch against left-handed batters, and the Columbus Clippers’ lineup was filled with them on this particular night. Instead, he led with his fastball that averaged 91.4 mph during the outing. Along with the fastball being used 33% of the time, he gave a pretty even split to his splitter, cutter, and curveball. His cutter looked the least game-ready, as he allowed three hard-hits off it, including a home run. Hence how the average exit velocity off of the pitch sat at 107.4 mph. On the other hand, his knuckle curve and splitter were arguably best pitches of the night, as they both generated three whiffs apiece along with two strikeouts each. Keeping that up would be a huge development for his efficiency against left-handed batters. The first inning was a nightmare for Crawford, as he opened the frame with back-to-back strikeouts before allowing a single to Travis Bazzana followed up by a two-run home run to Nolan Jones. That, in turn, was followed by a solo shot by Kahlil Watson and a single from Kody Huff before Crawford finally got out of the inning. His second inning went much better, allowing just a walk to Juan Benjamin. Unfortunately, the third inning spelled more trouble, as Bazzana singled once more before Watson hit his second home run of the day to make it 5-0. Crawford finished strong, getting the next two batters out, including a strikeout of the final batter he faced. Most importantly, the right-hander will need to build up his stamina as his velocity dropped on all his pitches each inning with the exception of his cutter. Credit Crawford for battling against a lineup filled with left-handed batters (eight of the nine starters batted from the left side of the plate), but it's clear that he's still a ways off from being ready to return to the majors. View full article

Worcester, MA — Mikey Romero is no stranger to overcoming adversity. Selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, his career immediately hit a rough patch when he got hurt heading into spring training of 2023. What was originally seen as back stiffness worsened until it finally became a stress fracture that limited him to just 34 games. Since that moment, Romero has continued to overcome one challenge after another. After missing nearly two months in 2024, he hit .271/.312/.509 in 78 games, putting himself back into conversations pertaining to the Red Sox's top prospects. Then, 2025 introduced a new challenge for Romero: a new position. But despite the learning curve, Romero embraced the change as he learned both second base and third base. And despite learning two new positions, he continued to hit, being one of the top offensive players in the organization. In 111 games, the infielder slashed .245/.300/.452 with 33 doubles, 17 home runs and 76 RBIs. “Honestly, I think third and second [base] are easier. Third base is such a reactionary position that if the balls hit to you, you’re using one hand for the majority of the time. And that’s where [third base], I spent most of the time so I got really comfortable. And then at spring training I was at second base which I think was good for my development,” Romero explained when asked about his change in positions. While it isn’t easy to learn the nuances of every spot on the infield, the 22-year-old did have two excellent teachers around him during the spring. “There were a lot of things that AC [Alex Cora] helped me with. Turning the double play, fielding the ground ball then turning it. So a lot of little things I picked up on." Overall, Romero has used that experience to get himself ready for 2026 and a hopeful promotion to Boston. And while he’s planning to play second base and third base primarily, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the call. “Whatever the team needs me to do. Outfield, DH, first base, I don’t really care. I just want to be helping the team however I can,” Romero answered when asked about where he prefers to play. The infielder has shown a team first approach throughout his career, and it continues to be a big part of his profile as he knocks on the door of the major leagues. Beyond his glove work, Romero remains an excellent hitting prospect. His exit velocities have been impressive and during the Spring Breakout game, he had two of the hardest hit balls across the league, though both resulted in outs. That hard hitting has carried over to the regular season, where in 11 games with Triple-A Worcester, he’s hitting .298/.340/.468 with five doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs. And throughout it all, the infielder has put up remarkable exit velocities. “It’s a culmination of a lot of things. Obviously, our bat speed program and then I think it’s the culmination of the work I put in [during] the offseason. I don’t want to be cocky but 109 [miles per hour exit velocity], I feel like I’ve done it before. My hardest [in 2025] was 115 [miles per hour]. So, 109 is cool but it’s still an out,” Romero explained while talking about his Spring Breakout performance. This year, his average exit velocity sitting in the 99th percentile for Triple-A players at 95.8 mph. His max exit velocity is also in the 99th percentile at 113.8 mph. It isn’t the quite the peak he reached in 2025, but to put up those exit velocities while playing in the frigid temperatures of Massachusetts and Minnesota in March and April, you can’t help but be impressed. But even when his hard-hit baseballs don't land for hits, he knows how to laugh it off. “The [Orioles] first baseman Ike Irish, I grew up playing with [him] and when he got to third base [later in the Spring Breakout game], I was talking to him. I was like, ‘Bro, what are you doing catching those balls? You have no business catching those.' It was also his first game ever playing first. It’s baseball, sometimes you hit it hard right at people." With his stellar play at the plate and his defensive versatility on display in Worcester, fans have already thought of the idea of a call-up for Romero. It isn’t out of the question either, as the Red Sox will need to make a decision about the young infielder by the end of the season; this upcoming offseason, he will be Rule 5 Draft eligible for the first time. If his play continues at this pace, he’ll need to be protected. View full article

The Boston Red Sox concluded their first home stand of the season going 3-3 against the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. While the team did get some positive news in the form of the offense finally waking up, pitching issues appeared to arise as both he rotation and bullpen struggled to get outs as needed. Now, the team heads off for their second road trip of the season, beginning in St. Louis. Red Sox: Brewers (Drohan) vs Red Sox (Gray): 4/8/26, 1:35pm In an afternoon game that saw former Red Sox prospect Shane Drohan make his major-league debut, the Red Sox were carried by a second consecutive stellar outing by Sonny Gray. The right-hander tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings, giving the offense a chance to wake up against Drohan. The Red Sox eventually won 5-0, with Tyler Samaniego also making his major-league debut and getting three strikeouts. Red Sox: ABS Accuracy With teams still getting used to the new ABS system that has been put in place, members of the TalkSox forum discussed their views on it. Discussion ranged from wondering how accurate it can truly be, especially when it uses a two-dimensional strike zone instead of a three-dimensional strike zone. Fun fact: The 3D strike zone was tested but led to too many strikeouts, and the league instead went with the current two-dimensional version. Minors: Jake Bennett Emerging as Key Left-Handed Option for Red Sox Bullpen With the Red Sox possibly needing bullpen help, especially with Justin Slaten going on the injured list, this post details how offseason trade acquisition Jake Bennett has done in his first taste of Triple-A this season. Having tossed eight shutout innings across two starts, Bennett could quickly put his name into consideration to help out in Boston at some point during the season. View full article