Catching up on the Red Sox: What you missed while watching C's and B's originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you've tuned out the Boston Red Sox in favor of the Celtics and Bruins, we won't hold it against you. The C's and B's entered their respective postseasons pegged as championship favorites after their sensational 2022-23 campaigns. Unless you're a diehard baseball fan, the Red Sox probably were on the back burner through the first month of their 162-game season.
But the Bruins' first-round collapse vs. the Florida Panthers and the Celtics' conference finals loss to the Miami Heat have left the Red Sox as the only show in town out of the big four Boston sports teams until September. And if you haven't paid attention since Opening Day, you've missed some significant developments that you'll want to catch up on before getting fully invested in the baseball season.
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These three ex-Red Sox pitchers have been lights out as of late
That said, here's everything you need to know before shifting your focus to the Red Sox.
Chris Sale regaining ace form
Expectations had never been lower for Sale heading into the 2023 season. The seven-time All-Star made only 11 starts in a three-year span (2020-22) due to various injuries. There was little to no optimism that he would get through two outings this year without landing back on the injured list, never mind be a legitimate front-end starter.
But after shaking off the early-season rust, Sale is starting to look more like the dominant pitcher the Red Sox traded for in 2017. The 34-year-old is 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA and 35 strikeouts over his last five starts.
It's still probably too early to say Sale is back to being a reliable ace, but he has quieted plenty of naysayers with his performance as of late. Now, it's just a matter of staying healthy over the course of a 162-game campaign and giving Boston the capable arm it desperately needs at the top of the rotation.
Pitching staff taking shape
Sale anchors a starting rotation that has become clearer over the last couple of weeks. With Nick Pivetta and offseason addition Corey Kluber being demoted to the bullpen, the rotation should be as follows for the foreseeable future:
- Sale
- Garrett Whitlock
- Tanner Houck
- Brayan Bello
- James Paxton
Paxton, Bello, and Whitlock began the 2023 season on the injured list. Now that they're healthy, Pivetta and Kluber are the odd men out. Houck took Kluber's spot in the rotation over the weekend.
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Pivetta and Kluber join a bullpen that includes Joely Rodriguez, Brennan Bernardino, Justin Garza, Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen. John Schreiber and Richard Bleier currently are on the 15-day injured list. Ryan Brasier recently was designated for assignment and released after six years with the club.
Growing pains for Triston Casas
Triston Casas, the Red Sox' former top prospect, is still adjusting to life in The Show. While he's had his moments, his numbers aren't where the club hoped they'd be through the first month of the campaign.
Casas is slashing .200/.317/.371 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 46 games. The 23-year-old first baseman has struck out in 47 of his 167 plate appearances.
The good news is while the whiff rate hasn't been ideal, he's hitting the ball hard when he makes contact. Casas is in the 78th percentile in average exit velocity and 85th percentile in barrel percentage, per Baseball Savant. With more time at the big league level, Casas should develop into the slugger Red Sox fans have been waiting to see.
Third season's the charm for Jarren Duran
Were you ready to give up on Jarren Duran before the 2023 season? You weren't alone. But once you see what the former top prospect has accomplished so far in Year 3 of his big-league career, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Duran appears to have figured it out at the plate. The 26-year-old outfielder is slashing .297/.348/.469 with three homers and 19 RBIs through 36 games. His .817 OPS ranks third on the team. It's safe to say that isn't what Sox fans expected out of Duran after Adam Duvall went down with an injury, but it's a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
He has also made tremendous strides defensively. After making headlines for his defensive struggles a season ago, he's in the 89th percentile in outs above average and 100th percentile in outfielder jump.
It's worth noting he has cooled off at the plate over the last couple of weeks, so whether he can keep this up over the course of 162 games remains to be seen. But if he does, the Red Sox may finally have their franchise center fielder.
Masataka Yoshida off to a strong start
The Red Sox front office took some heat from evaluators around the league for paying Yoshida $ 90 million in the offseason. So far though, the former Nippon Professional Baseball league star is living up to the hype.
Yoshida -- known for his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills -- has been as advertised. The 29-year-old leads the Red Sox in batting average (.303) and on-base percentage (.379) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.474). His six homers and 29 RBIs trail only Rafael Devers (13 HR, 44 RBIs).
The Red Sox couldn't have asked for much more out of the Japanese outfielder. He quickly adjusted to Major League pitching and is on track to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation at season's end.
Introducing Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes
Enmanuel Valdez was part of the 2022 trade that sent catcher Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros. With middle infielders Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang out due to injuries, he was called up and made his big-league debut on April 19. The 24-year-old infielder is slashing .243/.291/.419 with three homers and 10 RBIs through his first 26 big-league games.
As for Reyes, the Red Sox acquired the 29-year-old journeyman utility player from the Oakland A's in exchange for cash considerations on May 12. Given Reyes' reputation as a minor-league depth piece, not much was thought of the deal at the time.
But so far with Boston, Reyes has proven to be a valuable piece. In addition to his versatility, he has provided a decent bat with reliable defense in 11 games with the club.
The Red Sox hope to get star middle infielder Trevor Story back in the mix sooner rather than later, and Arroyo could rejoin the team soon, but Valdez and Reyes have shown they're capable of holding down the middle infield in the meantime.
American League East is stacked
If the Red Sox played in the AL Central, their 28-25 record would put them in first place. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
They're currently just a half-game ahead of the last-place Toronto Blue Jays in the loaded AL East. That puts them 9.5 games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays (39-17), who have hardly cooled off since starting the season on a 13-game win streak.
Then there's the Baltimore Orioles, who have shown that last year's promising season was no fluke. Their 34-20 record is the third-best mark in the entire league.
The New York Yankees are heating up after their slow start to the season as well. They've won 14 of their last 20 games and now own a 33-23 record, putting them 3.5 games ahead of Boston.
We knew the AL East would be a dogfight, but the competitiveness in the division has been kicked up a notch so far in 2023. Even if they exceed expectations, the Red Sox will have their work cut out for them as they look to sneak into the postseason this fall.
