Through mid-May of the 2026 season, the Red Sox sit at 18-26, which is last place in the AL East. For a franchise that competes for a championship most years, this is certainly not where they expected to be at this point in the season.
The losses have not been blowouts, which makes it even more frustrating for the fans. Just this past Friday, the Red Sox dropped a 3-2 game to the Atlanta Braves. Earlier in the week, they lost a series to the Phillies at Fenway, winning the first game but then losing the next two. The talent is clearly there, they just have not been able to put it all together on a consistent basis.
Their division and the schedule so far have not made things any easier. The Rays are playing some of the best baseball in the American league with a 29-14 record and the Yankees are just behind them with a 28-17 record. With those two teams running away with the division, Boston is essentially fighting just to stay in the wild card conversation.
As sophomore Xavier Bogen put it, “So far, they’ve played terribly. I’m hoping they can turn things around, but it’s not looking good.”
Looking ahead, the Red Sox have some key series next week. After leaving Atlanta after this weekend’s series, the Sox head to Kansas City to take on a similarly struggling Royals team before coming home to play a less-talented Twins team. These are key wins that the Red Sox need to spark momentum, because after that stretch the schedule gives little to no optimism. In June, they enter a tough stretch including series against the Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Mariners, and more.
Sophomore Harper Ewer still has some hope in Boston, saying, “It’s definitely been a slow start to the season, but hopefully they can still turn it around. If they start to get hot and they get on a big win streak, they could potentially still make the playoffs.”
Baseball is a long season and plenty of teams have found a way to turn things around after a rough start. However, the Red Sox are going to need a big momentum shift under the interim manager Chad Tracy if they want to have any hope of salvaging the season.
