Nick John

With the 2025 season officially over, it is time to look back at what was one key strength of the Boston Red Sox, which was their bullpen. This past season, the Red Sox had the best bullpen ERA in the American League and the second-best in all of major league baseball at 3.41 while tossing 585 1/3 innings. Across the year, the bullpen went a combined 36-29 with 45 saves and struck out 554 batters, helping the Red Sox return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Now, it’s time to look at the three most valuable relievers from the team and give them their deserved flowers. Of course, only one will be named the Reliever of the Year, but the bullpen as a whole deserves a lot of credit for the success the team found in 2025. #3) Steven Matz 21 games, 21 2/3 innings pitched, 12 strikeouts, 2.08 ERA Matz may not have pitched as much as other members of the bullpen, but after coming over at the trade deadline from St. Louis, he became an integral part of the relief corps. While both Greg Weissert and Justin Wilson struggled at times, Matz remained a key piece for manager Alex Cora. In 11 August games with the Red Sox, Matz allowed just one run in 12 1/3 innings. And while those numbers increased slightly in nine September games (four earned in nine innings), Matz still provided a reliable left-handed presence in the bullpen in a time of need, as Brennan Bernardino got placed on the injured list and Wilson was up and down. Overall, on the season, Matz went 5-2 in 53 games between the Red Sox and Cardinals with a 3.05 ERA. He also struck out 59 batters in 76 2/3 innings. He is due to be a free agent, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Red Sox prioritize a new contract with him over the winter. #2) Garrett Whitlock 62 games, 72 innings pitched, 91 strikeouts, 2.25 ERA This was a tough choice. If I could pick two winners, this award would be shared between Whitlock and Chapman, as the duo were a fearsome 1-2 punch in the back of the bullpen for the Red Sox. Whitlock looked even better than his 2021 self despite a lower ERA in his rookie season. This was in part thanks to his strikeouts per nine innings climbing to a career high at 11.38, along with the righty cutting back on home runs by only allowing two all season. For 2025, Whitlock struck out opponents at a 31.1% rate while opponents only hit .205 against him. He was especially lights out when it mattered most, as Whitlock allowed just a single run across 21 2/3 innings in August and September. In that same span, he struck out 26 batters and walked just five. In high-leverage situations, Whitlock remained poised and collected, as batters hit just .200/.296/.290 off of him while striking out 36 times. #1) Aroldis Chapman 67 games, 61 1/3 innings, 85 strikeouts, 1.17 ERA, 32 saves As mentioned with Whitlock, this was a tough choice. While Whitlock had more innings pitched and more strikeouts, what Chapman did this season at 37-years-old is remarkable. Not only did he turn back the clock, but the closer had what might be the best season of his career. Using fWAR, he had the third-highest of his career at 2.6 (if we use bWAR it would be 3.5 and the highest of his career). In his 61 1/3 innings pitched, Chapman allowed just nine runs, eight of them earned, to score all season. Not a month, but the entire season. It harkens back to Koji Uehara’s 2013 season at the age of 38. From June through the end of September, Chapman allowed just three earned runs in 38 1/3 innings while striking out 54 batters and walking just seven. He struck out 12.47 batters per nine innings and had the lowest walk rate of his career at 6.6%. His strikeout rate may not have been the highest of his career, but it was still a whopping 37.3%. Opposing batters hit just .131 against him, the second-lowest mark against him in his career, and he put together the lowest WHIP of his career at 0.70. With 32 saves this season, Chapman provided stability in the closer’s role that fans feared would be missing without Kenley Jansen. From his entrance blasting La Vida Es un Carnaval while a tribute to Luis Tiant played on the jumbotron, to his iconic stare at the opposing batter who made the final out, Chapman brought an intensity and aura to the closer’s role that had been sorely needed in Boston for quite some time. What did you think about our choices? Do you agree, or do you feel someone was snubbed? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments! View full article

The Red Sox entered Thursday night with the hope of beating their rivals and advancing onto the Division Series to play against the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as their lineup was completely shut down by a 24-year-old from Walpole, Massachusetts. The Red Sox meanwhile sent 23-year-old Connelly Early to the mound with the hope that he could take down the Yankees and extend their season. Through the first three innings that looked possible. Then, the fourth inning occurred, where Early was let down by his defense as he surrendered four hits in the inning, three of which could have very likely been outs. In what should have been an inning where only one or two runs at worse scored, the team was instead trailing 4-0 when manager Alex Cora went to Justin Slaten with two outs. The offense for the Red Sox was nonexistent as they scattered five hits off of Schlitter who absolutely dominated the lineup on his way to eight shutout innings and 12 strikeouts. Of those in the lineup, it felt like only Masataka Yoshida showed up to play, as he contributed two of the five hits on the night. The season is officially over now, and the Red Sox will have some time to plan what is in store with the roster. One thing is certain though: changes will have to be made to improve the team and make sure a step forward is taken. For the final time this series, let’s review the most impactful plays from the game, per WPA via Baseball Savant: 3) Bottom fourth: Austin Wells reaches on a fielder’s choice. Amed Rosario and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scores. -7.5% Win Expectancy With things starting to fall apart due to sloppy defense in the fourth, the Yankees continued to take advantage. Wells would go on to hit a groundball to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who couldn’t pick it. Instead of landing in his glove, the ball instead skipped off of it and rolled to the outfield as the Yankees scored their third and fourth runs of the evening. Lowe, who is typically a good defender (he previously won a Gold Glove award), played the ball awkwardly, trying to backhand it in hopes of turning two and ending the inning. Instead, the ball bounced off the tip of his glove and allowed the Yankees to tack on two runs. With the way the offense had been performing for Boston, the play really sunk their chances of winning. 2) Bottom fourth: Anthony Volpe singles to right field. Giancarlo Stanton scores. -7.7% Win Expectancy With the bases loaded and one out, Volpe came to the plate looking to do some damage for the Yankees. Despite Early having pitched well entering the fourth, things began to fall apart as he got himself into trouble. Volpe took an 0-1 fastball that was up and in and forced it past a shifted Romy Gonzalez into right field. It was a good piece of hitting by Volpe, taking a pitch meant to jam him and instead turning it into a base hit and RBI, allowing the Yankees to take a 2-0 lead. 1) Bottom fourth: Amed Rosario singles to right field. Cody Bellinger scores -12% Win Expectancy The first big blow of the night came from Rosario, as he came to the plate with two runners on and just one out. Ahead in the count 1-0, Rosario was not under much pressure as he took an outside changeup and pulled it towards Trevor Story. The shortstop made a valiant attempt, diving towards the ball, but it just got past him and into left field. Bellinger right away continued to round third towards home as the Yankees challenged Jarren Duran to make the play at the plate with his arm. Duran came up throwing a one-hopper to Carlos Narvaez that was a bit off the mark. It didn't really matter, as Bellinger was already sliding across home plate as the ball was caught. The Yankees would take the lead with the first run of the game, and they went on to mount their aforementioned rally that shut the door on Boston. Next up: The Red Sox are officially done for the season and will begin their offseason prep. There are plenty of questions surrounding the team after their season ended, especially toward both the offense and pitching. The bullpen may be the only part without much concern after their fantastic run, though it will never hurt to look to upgrade as relievers are volatile in their performance. If you really want to look ahead, the next game for the Red Sox will most likely be on Friday, February 20 against Northeastern University, as part of their spring training tune up. View full article

In what could have been a sweep of their rivals, the Red Sox instead dropped the ball and lost 4-3, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 on Oct. 2. The only positive is that the Red Sox won Game 1, giving them the opportunity to only need one win out of their next two games. The team is now in a position where their season on the line and their bullpen is taxed. Starter Brayan Bello was quickly knocked out of the game as he failed to get into a groove. Right away in the first inning, he surrendered a two-run home run to Yankee slugger Ben Rice as Boston fell behind 2-0 right from the get-go. Then, in the third with two runners on and one out, Alex Cora went to his bullpen early. Six different arms were used from that point on, as the only arms who didn’t get into the game were Kyle Harrison, Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman. The offense besides Trevor Story was practically nonexistent, as the shortstop had a third of the team’s total hits and all their RBIs. The Red Sox will now send Connelly Early to the mound in Game 3 to extend their season while the Yankees will counter with Cam Schlittler. Both pitchers are young rookies, and one team has a more rested bullpen than the other after tonight’s game. For now, let’s review the most impactful plays from the game, per WPA via Baseball Savant: 3) Top sixth: Trevor Story hits a home run off of Carlos Rodón. Ties the game 3-3. +16.7% Win Expectancy The theme of the night was the Red Sox constantly fighting back to tie the game, and the top of the sixth was no different. After a misplay in left field by Jarren Duran that saw him drop what would have been the third out and allow the Yankees to take a 3-2 lead, Story came up to bat to lead off the sixth. Story was the only real offensive force for the Red Sox, driving in his third run of the night thanks to his first home run of the postseason. Story worked the count well, laying off of the first two pitches to get ahead in the count 2-0 before getting a 95 mph fastball right down the middle. Story didn’t miss his chance, turning on the pitch and depositing it into the left field seats to tie the game. 2) Bottom first: Ben Rice hits a home run off of Brayan Bello. Rice and Cody Bellinger score. -19.1% Win Expectancy The Yankees started the night off rather loudly, as Rice stepped to the plate with two outs. After getting both Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge out rather quickly, Bello stumbled as he allowed a Bellinger single followed by his biggest mistake of the night. Throwing a first pitch cutter, Bello missed his spot and Rice did not miss. Rice launched the ball 364 feet into right field as Yankee Stadium erupted from the early lead. Rice, a lefty who was not in the lineup for Game 1 due to Garrett Crochet being on the mound, immediately showed why he was a key bat in the Yankees’ lineup all season. 1) Bottom eighth: Austin Wells singles off Garrett Whitlock. Jazz Chisholm scores. -30.6% Win Expectancy In what would be the game=deciding hit, Wells managed to do what very few hitters have done to Whitlock in the second half: drive in a run off of him. With Chisholm on first base after a two-out walk, it was clear that Whitlock was losing steam. Having been limited to just one inning per outing since roughly a third of the way through the season, the right-hander wasn’t used to throwing so many pitches and it showed, as Wells worked a seven pitch at-bat that culminated in an RBI single to drive in the winning run. Taking a changeup that was down and in, Wells deposited it into right field where Nate Eaton, and not WIlyer Abreu, was playing. The ball, which ricocheted off of the wall down the first base line, bounced away from Eaton and allowed Chisholm to round third base all the way from first. Eaton still made the play close, but Chisholm slid in just before the throw and gave the Yankees the lead for the rest of the game Some will question and wonder if the out is made if Abreu had entered the game defensively. He is a Gold Glove outfielder with a stronger arm than Eaton, but there is still no guarantee given to the way the ball bounced around in the outfield. The bigger issue should be the way the Red Sox squandered many opportunities offensively, most importantly having two runners on with no outs in the top of the seventh inning. Next up: The Red Sox and Yankees will conclude their Wild Card series with Game 3 taking place at Yankee Stadium tomorrow, October 2. The game will be full of tension, as whoever comes out on top will head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in the ALDS. View full article

The Red Sox went into New York with their ace ready to lead the team against their longtime rivals in what was billed as the best pitching matchup to open the postseason this year. All Garrett Crochet had to do was pitch like his usual self and keep the game close while the Red Sox offense found a way to score runs. And did he do just that. Besides one single pitch in the second inning to Anthony Volpe that resulted in a home run, Crochet was better than advertised as he retired 17 straight batters until a Volpe single in the eighth inning broke the streak. With two outs in the eighth (and 117 pitches from Crochet), Alex Cora turned the ball over to his All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman for the final four outs. The offense, tasked with the challenge of facing Max Fried, managed to work his pitch count and knock him out of the game in the top of the seventh as Aaron Boone turned to his bullpen. The relievers struggled, as Luke Weaver surrendered two runs and failed to get an out. The Red Sox are now one win away from taking the series and will send right-hander Brayan Bello to the mound with a rested bullpen waiting in the wings as the Yankees will counter with Carlos Rodón as they hope to salvage their season. Bello has pitched well against the Yankees this season, as he’s gone 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts. In that span, he threw 19 innings and struck out 17 batters. Though, let’s review the most impactful plays from the game, per WPA via Baseball Savant: 3) Bottom 9th: Giancarlo Stanton strikes out swinging, +17% Win Expectancy With the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth inning, things began to look worrisome for both Chapman and the Red Sox. With only a two-run lead, a single from Stanton would have tied the game, and anything in the air was likely to make it a one-run game with the tying run in scoring position. Chapman didn’t falter, however, and instead buckled down, getting Stanton out on four pitches. The designated hitter swung at all four, first fouling off a 100.3 mph pitch before completely missing the second one. After fouling off a 101.1 mph pitch, Stanton swung and missed on a 92.1 mph splitter, having been caught off guard by the sudden drop in speed. 2) Bottom 9th: Cody Bellinger singles to load the bases against Chapman, -18.2% Win Expectancy After back-to-back singles from Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge, Bellinger came up to bat and managed to loft a fly ball into left-center that neither Jarren Duran or Rafaela were able to get to. Fortunately for the Red Sox and Chapman, the manner in which the ball was hit—and the known defensive prowess of Rafaela—made it so Goldschmidt had to hesitate and wait for it to drop and was unable to score. The at-bat itself was over really quick, Bellinger swinging at a 99.3 mph fastball on the first pitch. It seemed to have been intended to be inside, but caught just a little too much of the plate as Bellinger managed to just loft it out into the outfield for a single. With an exit velocity of 87.7 mph, it was the softest hit allowed by Chapman on the night. As shown by the expected batting average of just .130, it was very unlucky for the Red Sox to have it drop in for a hit. Fortunately, nothing came of it as Chapman buckled down and got the next three batters to strand the bases loaded. 1) Top 7th: Masataka Yoshida singles off Luke Weaver. Ceddanne Rafaela and Nick Sogard score. +22.9% Win Expectancy This was without a doubt the biggest play of the night, as the Red Sox struggled to score up until this moment. After Fried had been lifted following a Duran groundout, Boone went to Weaver, who promptly walked Rafaela after an 11-pitch at-bat and then allowed a double to Nick Sogard to put the two into scoring position. Yoshida was then called off the bench, hitting for Rob Refsnyder, who began the game as the team’s designated hitter. In his first ever postseason at-bat, Yoshida swung at the first pitch he saw and hit a ground ball single just to the right of second base and into center field as both runners scored. The hit is Yoshida’s biggest since coming to Boston before the 2023 season and now has Boston just one win away from advancing to the Division Series to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Next up: The Red Sox will play Game 2 against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium tomorrow, Oct. 1, with the desire to win and sweep the series against their rivals. View full article

Not true. It would have been Game 1 of ALCS he's eligible for.

Murphy isn't eligible since he was optioned on Sunday. Needed to wait 15 days until he can be recalled unless someone on the playoff roster goes on the IL. Also, Murphy was already unlikely to make it due to Wilson, Matz and one of Harrison/Early being in the pen. Not to mention Chapman

The Red Sox are preparing to face the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs tonight, and if they want to win, they’ll need to find a way to handle the juggernaut of an offense their opponents have. Led by MVP candidate Aaron Judge, the Yankees displayed a lot of power this season, as they hit a combined 274 home runs, with Judge leading the way with 53. The Yankees have seven players on their roster that had 20 or more home runs. Offensively, there is no doubt the team is deep, hitting a combined .251/.332/.455 with a team OPS of .787. Along with the 274 home runs, the team also managed to drive in 820 runs and had 255 doubles. A lineup like this will be tough to slow down, but fortunately for the Red Sox, there are some key traits they can take advantage of: The Yankees strike out a lot, and most of the current lineup struggles against high velocity. While the Red Sox strike out their own fair share of the time, this Yankees roster has a tendency to strike out even more. They currently have three players who strike out greater than 33% of the time in Austin Slater, Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon. After that, there are five players who strike out at a rate higher than 25% in Jazz Chisholm Jr., Amed Rosario, Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Anthony Volpe. Even Aaron Judge strikes out at a 23.6% rate, tied with Trent Grisham, while the only players on the active roster with a strikeout rate below 20% are Ben Rice, Jose Caballero, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. With a pitcher like Garrett Crochet, who led the American League with 255 strikeouts, going in Game 1, there’s a good chance he could mow through a feast-or-famine order. That's especially true when you look at how the Yankees handle velocity. Crochet is known for throwing fast, averaging 96.4 mph on his fastball this season while being able to dial it up above 98 mph. Now, when you look at how the Yankees handled pitches that were at least 95 mph on the season, you start to like the Red Sox's chances. Unsurprisingly, the offense is led by Judge and Stanton in this situation, where the dynamic duo hit .286 with nine home runs and .333 with seven home runs, respectively. However, both also strike out at a high rate, Judge up to 35.2% against 95 mph or faster and Stanton striking out at a 46.9% rate. After those two, the only major threats against velocity at 95 mph or faster are Goldschmidt, Rice and Rosario as the three have hit .328, .296, and .313 respectively. The real positive is that key contributors like Grisham, Chisholm, Wells, and Volpe all struggle, as they strikeout at a 25% or higher rate, the highest among the quartet being Volpe’s 32.6% strikeout rate. And while there is no guarantee that you can hold the entire team down offensively, the fact is that you could very well go from Crochet to Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman in Game 1, all of whom can exploit this weakness. Add to it that Game 2 starter Brayan Bello can also throw 95 mph, and the Yankees will need to adjust to handling velocity quickly, otherwise the series could very easily sway in Boston’s favor from a pitching standpoint. This isn't a hidden weakness or anything the Yankees won't be prepared for; you can be certain the coaching staff has prepped the lineup to prioritize contact against the Red Sox. If you're looking for reasons for optimism though, there's a good chance the Red Sox could simply blow their rivals away in the Wild Card series. View full article

With the Boston Red Sox set to begin their Wild Card series against the New York Yankees later today, it might be a good idea to look at what are some strengths of the Yankees that could make this a tough series for the Red Sox. The Yankees had another successful regular season, finishing the year with 94 wins and in second place in the AL East while earning the first wild card seed and the right to host the opening series. The Yankees earned those 94 wins as they were led by a dominant rotation, despite missing Gerrit Cole for the entire season. That group was led by a powerful 1-2 punch of Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, as the two won a combined 37 games for the Yankees and threw 390 2/3 innings. The duo will be tough to face and will likely be the starters for the first two games of the series. In such a short series like a best of three, having two highly dominant starters can be insurmountable for an opponent. Fried is coming off of a fantastic September that saw him go 5-0 in five starts, tossing 33 1/3 innings in that span along with 35 strikeouts to just nine walks. After struggling in July and August, the Yankees’ ace showed why he was worth the seven-year deal New York signed him to in the offseason. Fried also made three starts against the Red Sox this season, going 1-1 in those three starts and tossing 18 1/3 innings. Boston batters struck out 22 times against him and only managed four runs despite 19 hits and seven walks. The Red Sox will need to put the ball in play more often with runners on base if they hope to get to Fried before he gets into a groove. Fried also has something that the Red Sox lack: postseason experience. During his time in Atlanta, the left-hander pitched in 20 playoff games, making 12 starts, though he has a mixed track record. In those 20 games, Fried has gone 5-6 with a 5.10 ERA in 67 innings. Should the Red Sox get to him early, they could cause him to self-destruct much like his lone appearance in 2024, where he allowed five runs on eight hits in just two innings. Rodón has also had a great year as he won 18 games while making the All-Star team for the third time in his career (the first time as a Yankee). Tossing a career high 195 1/3 innings, Rodón struck out 203 batters while finishing the year with a 3.09 ERA as he anchored the rotation as the number two behind Fried. Much like his partner atop the rotation, Rodón finished the year strong, going 3-2 in five September starts with a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings. Rodón also pitched three times against the Red Sox, though he went 1-2 and pitched much worse than Fried did. In 15 2/3 innings, the left-hander surrendered 11 runs, 10 earned, and walked 10 batters while striking out 12. Rodón also has some postseason experience, as most came last season in the Yankees' run to the World Series. Pitching in four games, Rodon had a mixed experience in October, as he was successful against the Cleveland Guardians but struggled in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of the two pitchers, it is likely Rodón that the Sox could put into trouble early. Though, should the series go to a third game, the Yankees are not without another strong pitcher. Having missed most of the 2025 season, Luis Gil is sometimes forgotten as the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year winner. However, pitching in just 11 games this season, Gil went 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 57 innings. As he pitched more, he got into a groove, as he went 3-0 over his final seven starts, recording a 2.84 ERA in that span. Across the season, Gil held opposing batters to a .230/.338/.351 stat line, though his strikeout rate dropped from 26.8% in 2024 to just 17.3% this season. Against the Red Sox, Gil was absolutely dominant, starting two games and winning one as he allowed just one earned run in 11 innings. For the optimists out there, one positive takeaway for the Red Sox is the fact he walked nine batters in those appearances. The Red Sox will have tough competition for certain in the Wild Card Round, but they aren’t unbeatable. If any team can beat the Yankees and their strong pitching, it's Red Sox, as they line up with Garrett Crochet in Game 1 followed by Yankee slayer Brayan Bello in game two. The series could very well be low scoring due to the impressive pitching on both sides, meaning some clutch hitting and lockdown efforts from the bullpen could be the deciding factor in who comes out on top. View full article

I think you'll see Cora load the top of the lineup with righties. Probably lead off with Romy in games 1 and 2

Between the two I like Early getting the Game 3 start. Worse case you get 3-4 innings out of him before turning it over to the bullpen.

The playoffs haven't even started yet, but the Red Sox were dealt a tough blow Monday afternoon as manager Alex Cora announced that starting pitcher Lucas Giolito would not be on the roster for the Wild Card series. Cora believes that the right-hander has been dealing with an elbow issue his past few starts according to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, but now it's gotten to the point where Giolito had to cut short his latest bullpen session. The right-hander is getting evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon, though any issue with the elbow is not good considering he had elbow surgery in 2024 that cost him the entire season. The news is a big loss for the Red Sox, as Giolito was a constant presence in the rotation after returning from the injured list on April 30. In 26 starts, he would end up going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings. He also struck out 121 batters in that span while opponents hit just .239 against him. While the official roster hasn't been announced just yet, it is likely a possible Game 3 would be started by either Kyle Harrison or Connelly Early. View full rumor

Yeah, I wrote this up last night following the season finale. Almost went back and edited this after the news broke but decided against it.

With the 2025 season officially over, the Boston Red Sox now have to plan their roster for the Wild Card round against their rivals, the New York Yankees. Rosters will once more be 26 players after they had expanded to 28 players for the month of September. With the Red Sox's 40-man roster now full at 40 players following the selection of José De León to start the season finale, the players available to be selected are now set in stone, barring a last-minute transfer of an injured player to the 60-Day injured list. With that in mind, we are now going to try and predict how the Red Sox roster may look for their Wild Card series against the Yankees. Right away we’ll go through the obvious choices: Outfielders: Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, and Rob Refsnyder Infielders: Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Romy González, and Nate Lowe Catchers: Carlos Narváez, and Connor Wong Pitchers: Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Justin Wilson, and Greg Weissert That brings the Red Sox roster to 20 players, leaving just six spots available. The position players listed above should be obvious selections based on how manager Alex Cora has mostly used them over the final weeks of the season to secure a return to the postseason while dealing with injuries. As for the pitchers, Crochet and Bello have already been announced as the starting pitchers for games one and two, respectively, while the trio of Chapman, Whitlock and Slaten are locks, as they’re arguably Boston’s best three relievers. Matz has been solid since being acquired at the trade deadline, while both Wilson and Weissert have been dependable out of the bullpen for Cora. Giolito is the assumed Game 3 starter unless otherwise stated by the team. Looking into the final six spots, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Boston decides to load up on bench players to prepare for any situation. Thanks to this series being just a best of three, the team won’t need to carry 13 pitchers and could instead get away with just 11 or 12 while allowing Cora to carry 14 or 15 position players. With that in mind, we’ll first look to finish filling in the rest of the bullpen. With six relievers listed above, the Red Sox would have nine pitchers, leaving at most three spots available. Of the available choices, the Red Sox will select from Zack Kelly, Payton Tolle, Luis Guerrero, Isaiah Campbell, Jovani Moran, and Luis Perales. Chris Murphy has to wait 15 days before he can be added to any postseason roster due to being optioned before Sunday’s game. The Red Sox also have Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison and De León as options for a long man out of the bullpen. From that list, we can easily cross out De León, as he threw 6 2/3 innings on Sunday. As for Perales, Campbell and Moran, they are likely to be in Fort Myers as part of the taxi squad, but unless injuries happen are unlikely to be chosen. The most obvious picks would be Kelly and Tolle, with either Early or Harrison as the long man. In this situation, I’ll go with Early considering how he’s looked in his four starts with Boston. Kelly would be the next pick, as he’s been rather reliable since being recalled to Boston at the start of September, tossing 11 2/3 innings in that span while surrendering just four runs. Tolle should make the roster just from his fastball alone, as he reached triple digits tossing it out of the bullpen. If there’s anything that plays well in October, it’s velocity. That would bring the list of pitchers up to 12 on the roster and a total of 23 players. The list of available choices for bench players includes Nick Sogard, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton, Jhostynxon Garcia, Kristian Campbell, and Ali Sanchez. Of the listed players, only Sanchez is not on the 40-man roster, but could be added and has been sent to Fort Myers as part of the taxi squad. The selection of position players is thin, and the likely choices to round out the bench and team would be Sogard, Hamilton and Eaton, who have been on the roster for most of the past month. Hamilton and Eaton are obvious choices for their speed and defensive versatility, and Sogard's ability to switch hit could make him a solid pinch-hitting option. With that in mind, the roster would now look like this: Outfielders: Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Rob Refsnyder, and Nate Eaton Infielders: Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Romy González, Nate Lowe, David Hamilton, and Nick Sogard Catchers: Carlos Narváez, and Connor Wong Pitchers: Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, Zack Kelly, Payton Tolle, and Connelly Early Lineup-wise, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Cora decides to load the lineup with right-handed batters for the first two games of the series, as Max Fried is scheduled to start Game 1 and Carlos Rodón is likely to follow him in Game 2. Cora has two lefty killers on his roster and has not been afraid to use them to try and score early against left-handed starters. This trend should continue in the playoffs. I'd say this is a very likely iteration of the lineup that Cora could roll out at Yankee Stadium: 1) González – second base 2) Story – shortstop 3) Bregman – third base 4) Refsnyder – designated hitter 5 Duran – left field 6) Lowe – first base 7) Rafaela – center field 8) Abreu – right field 9) Narváez – catcher Overall, the Red Sox will be in for a tough series against the Yankees, as the two rivals will battle it out for a chance to advance to the Division Series and remain in the playoffs. It will surely be a back-and-forth affair over the best-of-three series, as two historic franchises will enter but only one will remain by the end. Hopefully, the roster Cora and the front office constructs will be the one that advances. View full article

The minor league season is officially over and it’s time to recognize the best hitters within the Red Sox organization. Across these last six months, players performed at the highest levels that they could in hopes of showcasing their talents and possibly getting promoted to the next level on their way to the major leagues. We won't be any qualifiers on this, other than any player eligible had to spend at least half the season in the minor leagues (hence why our honorable mention is an honorable mention). Without further ado, let's give our flowers to the three best hitters in the Red Sox's organization this season. Honorable Mention: OF Roman Anthony Worcester .288/.423/.491, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs Despite making it up to the majors this season and playing more games there than in the minors (71 games in Boston compared to 58 in Worcester), it wouldn’t be right to not mention the season he was having in Triple-A before his promotion. In those 58 games, the 21-year-old had walked 51 times along with 21 extra-base hits, yielding an OPS of .913. And that’s including his 4-for-20 start to the season. Despite being one of the youngest players in Triple-A, Anthony didn’t look overmatched, but rather carried a sense of maturity with him in each at-bat. He's since emerged as a star at the big league level, and now owns one of the largest extensions in franchise history. #3) 1B/OF Justin Gonzales FCL/Salem/Greenville .281/.363/.390 23 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs Gonzales had an interesting season. He was promoted from the Florida Complex League after his one and only game at that level, a contest in which he went hitless in four at-bats. Gonzales spent most of his time in Salem in 2025, where despite being just 18 years old and handling his first real exposure to stateside professional baseball, he was more than ready for Single-A. In 81 games with Salem, Gonzales hit .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs along with 35 walks and 52 strikeouts. Thanks to his 6'4", sturdy frame, he is able to generate easy power, as the ball jumps off his bat. He showcased an advanced approach at the plate despite being years younger than the average player at his level, but he will need to learn to recognize secondary pitches earlier in his swing process as he moves up the different levels of the minor leagues. Gonzales finished the season with Greenville, playing in 11 games where he went just 8-for-43 for a line of .186/.265/.186 with four RBIs. #2) SS/2B Franklin Arias Salem/Greenville/Portland .278/.335/.388, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs Arias broke out offensively in 2025, as he looked like he was in complete control during his short stint in Salem to open the season. In 19 games, the 19-year-old destroyed Single-A pitching as he hit .346/.407/.397 with four doubles and nine RBIs. The hot start earned him a promotion to Greenville, where he continued to hit well, posting a .265/.329/.380 line with 21 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 49 RBIs. He did cool down as the season progressed, hitting just .169/.228/.265 for the month of June, but improved in each successive month as his numbers rose to .228/.265/.342 in July to .253/.380/.337 in August and then ending the season with a .261/.250/.435 stat line in 10 September games with Portland. Thanks to an ability to adjust to secondary pitches and elite contact skills, Arias manages to limit his strikeouts and gets on base frequently. He's got a bright future if he can continue to work counts and remain patient for pitches he's capable of attacking with authority. #1) OF Jhostnyxon Garcia Portland/Worcester .267/.340/.470, 17 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs The Password was unlocked this season, as the 22-year-old outfielder built off of his strong 2024 campaign that forced the Red Sox to add him to their 40-man roster in the offseason. Opening the year with Portland, Garcia earned a promotion after 33 games where he hit .256/.355/.393 with an OPS of .748. Upon his promotion to Worcester, Garcia only played better. In 81 games, he showcased his offensive potential, hitting .271/.334/.498 with 12 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 58 RBIs for an OPS of .833. Due to his strong performance, Garcia even earned a short promotion to Boston, as he appeared in five games and earned his first major league hit in that span before being sent back to Triple-A Worcester for the remainder of the season. He's got all the tools to be a successful big league hitter, though the crowded outfield situation in Boston could make his opportunities in the big leagues sparse. Well, these were the three top minor league hitters across the Red Sox organization in 2025. What do you think? Do you agree with the choices, or do you feel that someone got snubbed? Leave your thoughts down in the comments. View full article

1) the team didn't want to have him on the roster until he could comfortably throw a baseball the distance of left field to the infield. 2) You can only place a player on a rehab assignment for a certain number of days. I forget the exact number but I want to say around 20 days. After that they have to either be optioned, recalled from rehab or activated. Last thing the Sox need is to deal with an investigation into manipulating rehab assignments so they waited until he could regularly throw a baseball without pain.

It hasn’t always been a good time in Boston for Masataka Yoshida since he joined the Red Sox. Injuries, underperformance, and plateauing skills have all kept him from living up to his big contract. And yet, despite that, the 32-year-old outfielder may have helped save the team’s chances of making the playoffs thanks to a strong September at the plate. When the Boston Red Sox signed Yoshida to a five-year $90 million deal back in December 2022, there were mixed reactions. Other teams felt the Red Sox had overpaid for the hitter and due to his poor defense, it was assumed that he may not be a good fit for the team. Instead, the Red Sox embraced Yoshida in his rookie season playing him in left field for 87 contests. Offensively, he was decent, hitting .289/.338/.445 with 33 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 72 RBIs in 2023. The 2024 season was a different story, as the team did not want him playing in the outfield any longer, instead serving as the team’s designated hitter. He would go on to only play 108 games, all but one as the DH, where his numbers dipped to .280/.349/.415 with 21 doubles, 10 home runs and 56 RBIs. Following the season, it was revealed that he would need labrum surgery, and the team stated that was the reason he did not play in the field. Entering this year, it was clear Yoshida was the odd man out, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu manning the outfield, while Roman Anthony was waiting to be promoted. Along with that, Rafael Devers was the team’s new designated hitter after the signing of Alex Bregman, leaving Yoshida without a position. Despite a strong spring training showing, Yoshida opened the year on the injured list as the team stated he would not play until he felt comfortable throwing the baseball regularly. Many fans felt it was an excuse to keep Yoshida off the roster to keep the lineup flexible. It turns out, his injury was worse than feared, as he didn't even start his rehab assignment until July 2 with the Worcester Red Sox. Yoshida would play five games between Worcester and Portland before being activated by the Red Sox on July 9 against the Colorado Rockies. He was used sparingly upon returning, appearing in just 13 games in July where he hit .239/.255/.370 with an OPS of .625. His presence created a roster crunch as the Red Sox, had four outfielders fighting for three spots and on most occasions, couldn’t rotate them between the outfield and designated hitter due to Yoshida’s presence in the lineup. The argument was being made that the roster was more flexible in its lineup construction prior to Yoshida’s activation, and his bat wasn’t worth taking up a spot in the lineup. In August, he received more playing time, appearing in 22 games, but struggled even more than in July. As the Sox battled it out for playoff position, Yoshida managed to hit just .214/.296/.300. However, it now seems that since the calendar flipped to September, Yoshida has turned his season around and just when the Red Sox needed an offensive jolt. The team lost Anthony for the season on September 2 after he injured his oblique against the Cleveland Guardians, and for most of the second half, Alex Bregman has not looked like himself as he’s continued to deal with his quad injury. The Red Sox also lost a key piece of their lineup in Wilyer Abreu during a mid-August series against the Miami Marlins. The lineup needed a boost, and in a surprising fashion, it was Yoshida who provided it. In 16 games in September, Yoshida has raked at the plate, hitting .333/.344/474 with an OPS of .818. In that span, he’s also put the ball in play much more often, hitting five doubles and a home run to go along with 11 RBIs while striking out just four times. In a month that has seen severe streakiness from players like Rafaela and Duran, the Red Sox are fortunate that Yoshida has stepped up, especially during the past seven games. After going 0-for-2 with a RBI against the Athletics, Yoshida has gone on a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-26 with five RBI in that span including clutch hits during the series with the Blue Jays as the Red Sox hung onto a small lead for the second Wild Card spot. Looking back to the Sunday Night Baseball game against the Yankees on September 14, Yoshida is 14-for 33 and causing havoc. His stat line has jumped up to .261/.306/.375 on the season thanks to his performance this month. And while Yoshida may not be in the best interest of the club’s future and his contract may not have worked out as many had hoped, should he help carry the team into the playoffs, then he may go down in a positive light in the history of the Red Sox. The team is no stranger to having folk heroes emerge during October (Steve Pearce, anyone?). To think that Yoshida, a player who spent most of the season on the injured list, could carry the team through September is what makes baseball so great. View full article