Brandon Glick

Superstar rookie Roman Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox to become the new face of the franchise. The team appears prepared to move forward with an in-house first mentality. View full video

This is about as favorable of a pitching matchup as you'll ever see. Christian Javier has been out 14 months with Tommy John surgery, and he walked 15 guys in 14 innings on his rehab assignment.

On July 9, Masataka Yoshida returned to the Boston Red Sox's lineup following a long, first-half-spanning hiatus due to an involved offseason shoulder surgery. There were rumors last offseason that the team was looking to trade him, with the intention of both freeing up payroll and an outfield spot in anticipation of Roman Anthony's debut. Obviously, that trade didn't come to fruition thanks to the shoulder injury. So, for at least the next few months, Yoshida is set to be a semi-regular staple in the lineup, and the good news is he looks more or less exactly like the player we've come to expect over the past few seasons. Since signing a five-year, $90-million contract in December 2022, Yoshida hasn't quite delivered on the great ceiling that his seven-year run in the NPB with the Orix Buffaloes portended: a .327/.421/.539 slash line with 133 home runs. Over his first two seasons with the Red Sox, the designated hitter played in 248 of a possible 324 games, accrued 2.8 WAR, posted an OPS of .775 and wRC+ of 112, and produced 82 extra-base hits. Through 18 games in 2025 (not including his 0-for-3 performance on Sunday), Yoshida is slashing .258/.288/.419, good for an 89 wRC+. A slight setback in production, to be sure, but add the usual small sample caveats to the fact that he's still knocking off the rust from his extended break, and he's generally performing in line with expectations. The underlying numbers generally tell the same story. By negligible margins, his batting average is down from last year but his expected batting average is up, and the opposite his true for his slugging. His wOBA has trended down since his rookie year in 2023, though he's hitting the ball harder than ever this season (42.3% hard-hit rate, 91.0 mph average exit velocity). He's barreling up more balls than he has in the past and he's chasing less, but he's whiffing and striking out more while walking less. Add it all up, and you get a guy who, for all intents and purposes, is Masataka Yoshida. Hardly groundbreaking analysis, I know, but that's sort of the point. Given the data we have thus far, all we can really say about the Japanese outfielder is that the shoulder injury hasn't impacted his approach or talents too much. If you want something to pinpoint as the reason for his minor struggles since returning, it's clear that Yoshida's timing is off. His in-zone and out-of-zone (chase) contact rates have always been leagues better than the MLB average thanks to his exceptional bat control, though that also means that, in certain circumstances, he gets punished for poor timing more than most. It's one thing to be late on a fastball and swing and miss at it (or weakly foul it off); it's another thing to be late on a fastball and punch a weak ground out to third base because your bat stays in the zone for so long. Unfortunately, as is wont to happen with players returning from long layoffs, Yoshida's timing is still a work in progress. Fastballs have long been his bread and butter—.445 wOBA against such pitches in 2023, .371 wOBA in 2024—but he's down to a below-average .306 wOBA against heaters in 2025. Consider that his hard-hit rate against fastballs is actually up to 53.8% this year (a career high), and you have a relatively clear picture of a guy who can still crush them when he guesses right... but it's clear that he's doing just that: guessing. Again, the sample sizes are so small for other offerings that it's impossible to draw relevant conclusions for them, but he is hitting sliders, splitters, and sweepers better this year, suggesting that he may just be a bit late in his swing process right now, hence why he's hitting slow stuff better and hard stuff worse. Beyond the batter's box, he's played all of two games in the outfield thus far, which is also to be expected following shoulder surgery. It was actually in 2024 that he became the Red Sox's full-time designated hitter (following his rookie season in which he provided -8 Outs Above Average in more than 700 innings), so even a healthy shoulder isn't going to get Yoshida playing time in Boston's crowded outfield glut. As a designated hitter who can fill in somewhat capably as a fourth or fifth outfielder, his value on defense will always come from his ability to give other guys a day of rest without having to maneuver the 26-man roster around. And... that's about it with Yoshida. He's never been a particularly good baserunner, his home and road splits aren't drastic enough to bear mentioning (his career OPS is 50 points higher at Fenway), and while he seems to be well-liked in the clubhouse, he certainly isn't one of the leaders on the team. He is what he is: a solid left-handed hitter who can play a passable left or right field in a pinch. It's nice to see that he's still capable of producing at his usual rate following a serious shoulder injury. But, for anyone hoping he'd evolve into something more than he's previously shown, it's probably time to divert that optimism elsewhere. View full article

Hopefully, Cease doesn't make the Sox regret not trading for him today.

Connor Wong has a 1.000 OPS against King (in five at-bats)... season-changing performance incoming?

Whichever one of you had "Nick Pivetta leaves Red Sox after stunningly declining QO and becomes Cy Young contender instantly in San Diego" on your bingo card, please come claim your prize.

They've bottomed out in 2025, but it wasn't too long ago that the Atlanta Braves were the talk of the baseball world. The 2021 World Series champions went on to win 205 combined games over the next two seasons, ultimately falling short in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies in both campaigns. In conjunction with their recent performance, that's put a damper on what was once MLB's most exciting core of young stars, though the foundation of that winning culture remains intact. Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy, and Ozzie Albies. A veritable list of All-Stars, MVP winners and Cy Young candidates. Those are the core players who signed long-term, team-friendly extensions that greased the wheels for the Braves' run of dominance, as they facilitated external moves like the signing of Marcell Ozuna or the trade for Chris Sale. Of course, those deals weren't always "team-friendly". The players had to perform well enough to justify that classification. A long-term injury here, or a breakdown in mechanics there could have derailed any one of those deals, which could have sent the whole organization into a tailspin. Spending $21 million per season on Austin Riley at third base is a bargain; spending $36 million combined on, say, Ryan McMahon to cover for an injured Austin Riley at third base is how windows of contention get slammed shut. That "Braves Model" that was the talk of the town a few years ago never really caught on elsewhere despite the franchise's success because, well, it's not really a model you can just choose to follow. It requires organizational buy-in at every level, from players and coaches to scouts and executives, to execute properly. Look at the Chicago White Sox circa 2021—they won 93 games and the AL Central behind a great farm system and a group of extended youngsters (chiefly Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr.). Then, they finished 81-81 the next season, and the franchise completely collapsed behind horrid front office decisions, poor managing, and a host of nonstop injuries to their young core. Well, leave it to the Red Sox to take that cautionary tale and brush it aside. The team took the savings from the widely-panned Rafael Devers trade and spent a chunk of them on Roman Anthony, inking the superstar rookie to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Anthony's contract is by the far the largest of the Red Sox's new core, and the third-largest ever signed by an outfielder under 22 years old (we'll have more on that topic from the excellent @Braden Ramsey later this week). He is now thrust into the face of the franchise role that Acuña assumed with the Braves when he inked his own nine-digit extension as a 21-year-old, and one can only hope he lives up to the MVP and World Series path that Acuña has forged. As a reminder, in Craig Breslow's tenure, the Red Sox have extended the following pre-arb players: Roman Anthony: eight years and $130 million (begins in 2026, club option for 2034) Brayan Bello: six years and $55 million (began in 2024, club option for 2030) Kristian Campbell: eight years and $60 million (began in 2025, club options for 2033 and 2034) Ceddanne Rafaela: eight years and $50 million (began in 2024, club option for 2032) That list doesn't include ace Garrett Crochet, who signed in arbitration after being acquired via trade. His contract is for six years and $170 million, and comes equipped with a player option for 2031. So, that's an ace pitcher, a star outfielder, a solid mid-rotation pitcher, a big-hitting infielder, and a stellar defensive center fielder. That's a pretty solid core to build the future of the team around—they are all under contract through the end of the decade at least—and mirrors the Braves' extensions remarkably well. The team has identified the players it plans to build around, and a few others (Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer, Carlos Narváez) have proven worthy of being added to this growing list of foundational Red Sox players. If you didn't believe it before, the Anthony extension (and preceding trade deadline) are loud statements from the organization: This era of Boston baseball will be built from within, and the players who check off the internal development boxes will be rewarded. That's certainly not to say there aren't outside additions coming—Crochet himself is proof that the team will splurge where it deems fit to do so—but it is a commitment to what Craig Breslow and company have been building since they stepped foot inside the front office. There's no telling how this will all pan out. The Braves were unstoppable until they weren't. The White Sox never even got off the ground. Last year's World Series participants (the Yankees and Dodgers) got there primarily from the contributions of big trade acquisitions and free-agent splurges. It isn't as flashy as what the Dodgers or Yankees do, but the Red Sox are going for something different—something more sustainable (or, at least, more sustainable than the Yankees; the Dodgers are a one-off freak show in terms of consistent dominance). With Anthony now set to lead the charge, it's hard not to start getting excited about what this new era of Red Sox baseball could look like. View full article

Oh absolutely. His approach is a true all-fields one, and though it'll dampen his power numbers, it's certainly not hurting his overall production. He might never evolve beyond what he is right now—a pure platoon threat—but that's still a rather valuable player to have on the roster, especially if Refsnyder rides off into the sunset this winter.

Dustin May debut. His last start? On July 27, when the Red Sox got to him for four runs in five innings.

In part two of our analysis of the Red Sox's short-side platoon success, I figured it'd be fun to directly compare today's subject, Romy Gonzalez, with Rob Refsnyder (our topic of conversation yesterday). I won't rehash what we spoke about in the Refsnyder piece, but it's worth noting up top that he's deriving most of his success from pulling the ball, while also sacrificing some production against off-speed pitches to better prepare for fastballs and breaking balls. Like Gonzalez, Refsnyder plays primarily against southpaws; Gonzalez draws 53.4% of his plate appearances against lefties, compared to 72.3% for Refsnyder. Here are their stats in those situations: Refsnyder: .287/.384/.521, 144 wRC+, five home runs, 25.0% strikeout rate, 13.4% walk rate Gonzalez: .337/.392/.663, 184 wRC+, six home runs, 26.4% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate We've already spoken at length about what Gonzalez does to left-handed pitching, but it's fascinating to compare him to the team's designated lefty destroyer and see just how good he's gotten at the job. His 1.063 OPS against southpaws this season ranks fourth in all of baseball, behind only Aaron Judge (1.281), Paul Goldschmidt (1.181), and Cal Raleigh (1.082). His .323 ISO ranks fifth, his slugging percentage ranks fourth, and his on-base percentage ranks just outside the top ten. By all accounts, he is one of the five-to-ten best hitters against left-handed pitchers in baseball this season. Let's dig a bit deeper. Among qualified hitters against left-handed pitchers, he ranks tied for second in BABIP (.429). That's kind of a "yikes" stat in a vacuum, but consider that he's also spreading the ball to all fields pretty well—his 31.9% opposite field batted ball rate is 23rd in baseball against southpaws—and owns the sixth-highest hard-hit rate (46.4%). Plain and simple, he owns lefties, and whatever "luck" he gets is well deserved given his quality of contact. Unlike Refsnyder, Gonzalez is hitting every pitch type better this year, but he's experienced a drastic uptick in production against breaking balls. His wOBA this season against the breaking stuff is at .441, more than doubling his .215 mark a year ago. To put that into context, Nick Kurtz ranks second in baseball with a .430 wOBA, and LaMonte Wade Jr. ranks last with a .242 mark. Gonzalez's xwOBA against such pitches (.331) betrays that a little bit, but he's still more than tightened up the most problematic hole in his approach. For what it's worth, Gonzalez is actually still pretty bad at pulling the ball in the air (13.2%), which is problematic considering that he plays half his games in Fenway Park. If he can improve upon his plate discipline—his chase (33.4%) and whiff rates (32.3%) are in the bottom-quartile among all hitters this year—he can probably drive a few more of those balls to left, rather than punching them weakly to right. Nevertheless, you'll live with some of that swing and miss if he can continue to attack lefties in his preferred manner. Overall, the Red Sox have two of the very best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitchers. Considering that first base and designated hitter remain fluid in Alex Cora's lineup, that's a valuable thing to have when trying to play the platoon advantage, especially off the bench late in games. The presence of Gonzalez (and Refsnyder) shouldn't preclude the front office from trying to make a permanent upgrade over the offseason, but the Red Sox's offense has been thriving this year thanks to the versatility of its myriad pieces. Without the two "lefty mashers", it's hard to think the story would be the same. View full article

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but the Red Sox are within three games of the division lead with three left to play against the Blue Jays (in September)...

Couldn't agree more. They produce at All-Star rates against lefties. No reason to keep those guys out of the lineup, at least while we're trying to win!

Let's play a fun little game that definitely wasn't spoiled by the headline of this article. Can you name the Red Sox's four best hitters according to weighted on-base average (wOBA) this season? I'll list them below: Alex Bregman (.386 wOBA) Romy González (.373) Roman Anthony (.369) Rob Refsnyder (.364) So, to recap, that's the team's best overall player atop the list, a guy who hammers left-handed pitchers to the tune of a 1.055 OPS in 102 plate appearances, and the former best prospect in baseball fresh off one of the best rookie months in franchise history. The next player on the list isn't one of the team's outfield stars (Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela occupy the next three spots), nor is it breakout rookie catcher Carlos Narváez. Instead, it's 34-year-old outfielder Refsnyder, who makes his hay the same way González does: crushing lefties. He's rocking a .277/.364/.485 slash line overall, good for a 130 wRC+ that's right in line with what he's done in Boston since arriving prior to the 2022 season. His strikeout rate (26.5%) is up a few ticks from his career norms, but he's made up for that by raising his walk rate (11.9%) as well. His .208 isolated slugging (ISO) is his highest in any season with more than 50 plate appearances, and he continues to work a comical BABIP, standing at .349 for the season. That latter number might sound like it suggests some forthcoming regression, but it's actually lower than his career number in a Red Sox uniform (.352). Part of the reason for that last tidbit is just the kinds of situations the Red Sox put Refsnyder in. Over 72% of his plate appearances this season have come against southpaws, and his OPS jumps by more than 200 points when he gains the handedness advantage. As you might expect, Refsnyder's aptitude for pulling the ball reaches another stratosphere against lefties, though even his cumulative totals are wildly impressive. Just take a look at how silly his spray chart (courtesy of Baseball Savant) is this year: Refsnyder's pulled-ball rate is up to 44.6% this season, which would rank tied for 42nd in baseball if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. That number would also rank second on the Red Sox behind Bregman, a reminder of what good right-handed hitters can do when they learn to take advantage of the Green Monster in left field. None of this should be surprising if you've followed Refsnyder's decade-long career journey. The book on him is eminently clear; he's just doing his thing better than usual in 2025. Case in point: his wOBA against both fastballs (.379) and breaking balls (.399) are up to near-career-high levels (his wOBA against fastballs is the highest of his career), and he's doing it while sacrificing some production against off-speed offerings (.227 wOBA, worst since 2022). It's a common profile we've seen aging hitters take in recent years—George Springer of the Blue Jays might be the poster child for it in 2025—and one that Refsnyder is making work with ease and grace. In Romy González and Rob Refsnyder, the Red Sox have two brilliant short-side platoon options to deploy in the infield and outfield, respectively. That's usually not the most efficient way to build a team—it's often advisable to target left-handed hitters who can crush righties since they are far more common—but Boston is making it work. Regardless of what the future holds for the retirement-considering veteran, Refsnyder's role-filling greatness shouldn't taken for granted. View full article

I believe it's because he pitched for the Pirates prior, and stats technically don't transfer over to the other league (NL to AL) mid-season. They may have that changed how that works, though.

The Red Sox are basically gonna draw the Royals' all-deadline rotation this week. First up: Bailey Falter.

Nothing in baseball is guaranteed. Tanner Houck, fresh off a brilliant 2024 campaign where he earned his first All-Star nod and pitched to a 3.12 ERA in 178 2/3 innings, was supposed to be the No. 2 to Garrett Crochet this season. Instead, he was miserable in limited action, surrendering a hideous 8.04 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. He was originally placed on the injured list back on May 12 with a strained forearm flexor, and numerous setbacks have kept him from appearing in Boston since. Now, according to Chris Cotillo, Houck will undergo Tommy John surgery in short order. The procedure and subsequent recovery will likely keep him out through the end of the 2026 season. Houck, 29, is due to be a free agent after the 2027 season. Given his troubling injury diagnosis and the exceedingly-high likelihood of a league-wide lockout in 2027, it's possible we've seen the last of Houck in a Red Sox uniform. View full rumor

Craig Breslow and company elected to play it safe at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, bringing in a few high-upside but low-floor pitchers. How much did the team improve? View full video

Re-signing him has a lot to do with it, at least in my estimation. If the plan is to treat him purely as a rental, giving up Tibbs+ makes no sense. If the goal is to keep him around, I can squint hard enough to see the logic. The thing with a guy like May is, maybe the Red Sox did want to sign him in free agency, but perhaps not enough to beat out 29 other teams to do it. So, they wanted to bring him in now to see what he's got and how he reacts to their system and pitching development team. That kind of information is invaluable, and can really only be ascertained when you have a guy in your building. Alternatively, maybe the Red Sox knew how much they already loved him and how badly they wanted to sign him in free agency. So, in an attempt to give themselves a leg up in his sweepstakes, they brought him in now with the plan of trying to sell him on Boston for the long-term by showing him how great the franchise/fanbase/internal development team is. Again, something that can really only be simulated during a free agency visit.