Now starting the year going 30-30 with an 8-9-1 record in series wins, I think it’s safe to say that the 2024 Boston Red Sox are mid. A promising 17-13 start through April then proceeded to come back down to earth with a 12-16 May. Through average statistics and a literal .500 record, it’s hard to argue against the idea that they are caught in the middle as a franchise right now.

Stats

The Red Sox are middle of the pack in almost all team offensive statistics right now. Tied for 12th in batting average (.243), tied for 13th in home runs (63), and 12th in runs scored (261). On top of that they’re striking out a ton and making mental errors on the basepaths. They are 3rd in strikeouts with 576, while also being a top ten team in runners caught stealing.

At least the pitching has been surprisingly good for Boston so far. They have managed to be a top ten team in team ERA (3.37), WHIP (1.17), and home runs allowed (52). New pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, should be credited with this drastic improvement from past seasons. Bailey has completely overhauled the Red Sox pitching room emphasizing more breaking balls and less fastballs.

As we covered before in their season preview, the Red Sox are not a good defensive team. While Bailey can only do so much to the pitching room, the defense behind the pitchers still has to do their job- and they simply haven’t up to this point. They’re 4th in errors with 41 and tied for 27th in fielding percentage at .981. So, while the pitching has been good, the defense behind them has brought them down to earth.

Standing/Records

How else to explain that the 2024 Red Sox are mid? Well look no further than their 30-30 record which is good for 3rd place (the middle) of the AL East. The home and road splits are even split, as they’re 13-17 at home and 17-13 on the road. What’s really been killing the Sox so far is their inability to beat good teams. As of today, they have a 9-20 record against teams with records above .500.

Despite all of the intermediate play, Boston still finds themselves only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot. Can they get over that hump though? They haven’t shown any ability to sustainably win games over long stretches of time. Their longest win streak so far has been 5 games and that was in the second week of the season.

Injuries

What’s really holding the Red Sox back right now is an abundance of injuries. Lucas Giolito went down with Tommy John back in Spring Training. Lefty reliever Chris Murphy also went down with a UCL injury in April. Then recently it was announced that Garrett Whitlock also needs elbow surgery and will miss the remainder of 2024. This is all on top of Liam Hendriks recovering from a UCL injury that the Red Sox knew about when he signed- he won’t be back until July/August.

Then the fielders started going down. Trevor Story broke his shoulder and is missing the rest of the year. Triston Casas fractured a rib on a swing and won’t be back until late June. Tyler O’Neill seemingly can’t stay healthy for long periods of time as he’s already had two IL stints. Masa Yoshida injured his thumb and should return at some point in June but who knows when. Now Vaughn Grissom is going back to the IL with a hamstring strain.

It’s just been a lot for Red Sox fans to take. Every day someone new gets injured. Some are even starting to get hurt in really weird ways. Like the other day when Wilyer Abreu misstepped into the dugout and left the game with an ankle injury.

The Future

While this version of the Boston Red Sox may be mid, the fanbase needs to have some patience and realize that good times are ahead. Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel are all raking down in AA while learning how to win together. If everything goes to plan, they all three should be with the Major League squad by this time next year.

I’m not saying Boston can’t go on a run and grab a wild card spot this year. It just feels like we’ve been watching the same average product since 2022. So, I don’t think this season is THE season for the Sox, but the future looks bright. And with a solid foundation of young guys like Brayan Bello already in the majors making some headway and getting paid, the Red Sox could be a very exciting team by 2026.

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