As the Boston Red Sox head into the dog days of summer, fans are still holding on to hope that the 2025 season will be successful. Sitting at a record of 17-14 through 31 games, the Red Sox have shown flashes of greatness and flaws. The big-time free agent signings have performed well, and rookie Kristian Campbell has stayed hot through the first 29 games of his career.
The Sox are only three games over .500 because of the same problems they have been having for a few years: inconsistency on the plate and in the field. The Red Sox lead the league in errors with 28. Free agent splash Alex Bregman leads all players with five errors so far this season, but that does not tell the whole story. Bregman has made some incredible plays at third this season, and some of his errors cannot be fully blamed on him.
The bats have been good this season, but some have still not fully picked up steam, while others have cooled off since a hot start. Rafael Devers has come back to life from his 0-19 slump to start the season, but he still has not completely looked like the Devers of past years.
Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela also had a slow first month of the season. Rafaela has battled back and continued his outstanding defense, while Casas is still slowly getting back into form.
Despite the inconsistency in some areas, there is so much to look forward to for this season. Garrett Crochet has looked like a Cy Young candidate through his first seven starts. The lefties ERA sits just above two after a dominating performance on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Crochet struck out six and only allowed two runs in seven innings of work against the Jays. He has led an experienced pitching staff through the first month of the season.
This summer, Sox fans should expect and hope for a team that is more than capable of scoring runs every night and a reliable pitching staff in the starters and bullpen. A high-powered offense last season was bolstered by the signing of Bregman and the call up of Campbell. The bullpen added flame throw Aroldis Chapman and consistent Justin Wilson, who have proven to be good signings so far by Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.
Speaking of Breslow, he must make moves at the trade deadline if this team wants to contend for a playoff spot. Adding one more starter and bullpen piece would be crucial down the stretch with the fifth starter still in limbo thus far. Another bench piece or a reliable catcher would not hurt Boston either. Connor Wong struggled before getting injured and Carlos Narvaez has been solid, but there are no guarantees that the rookie can sustain his decent play for a whole season. A full-time starting catcher could go a long way for this squad in the fall.
As for the top prospects waiting in the wings, a lot of decisions will have to be made this summer by Breslow and company. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer have been killing it in Triple A, but is there somewhere to put them on the big-league roster? If players are struggling or injured over the next few months, why not give the young players a chance to play and show their skills to the Fenway faithful.
The injury bug has also hit the team the past few years. Trevor Story barely played the last two years and Devers and Casas battled injuries all of last season. The Sox have been healthy this season and, if that continues, the winning should continue as well.
By the time the clock strikes September on the Boston Red Sox season, expect them to be in playoff contention and for the roster to look a little different.