All season long it’s felt like the Red Sox are walking a tightrope. As injuries have piled up there’s been a sense among portions of the fanbase that doom is lurking just around the corner.
And yet, here they are, still in the hunt past the season’s midway point.
For all the bad vibes that have surrounded the Red Sox at times, all of the club’s goals are still within reach. Boston goes into the second half still last in the AL East, yes, but also five games over .500 at 48-43 and only two games out of the last AL Wild Card spots. The club is also getting healthier, so it’s entirely possible we could look up a week from now and the Red Sox could be not only back in the postseason field, but pushing the Baltimore Orioles for a chance to host a first-round playoff series.
The next few months are shaping up to be really interesting, so here are a few storylines to follow as the Red Sox move into the second half.
In a little over a month Mookie Betts will return to Fenway Park for the first time since being traded in early 2020, as the Los Angeles Dodgers are slated to visit Boston the weekend of Aug. 25-27.
Now a seven-time All-Star, Betts is in the midst of another MVP-caliber season. The 30-year-old outfielder is batting .276 with 26 home runs and a .964 OPS, and his 4.2 wins above replacement mark ranks fourth in the majors. His Dodgers are in the midst of a down season (by their standards) but are still tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first in the NL West.
Needless to say, that’s going to be a huge weekend for the Red Sox, but the fun won’t stop there.
Immediately after the Dodgers fly home, the Red Sox will also welcome the defending World Series champion Houston Astros, who are shaping up to be among the three or four Wild Card contenders who Boston will be jockeying for position with down the stretch. Houston and the Toronto Blue Jays are tied in the standings and occupy the second and third AL Wild Card spots, so that late-August homestand could have massive ramifications for Boston.
Before the Red Sox even get that far, the question of how they should address the trade deadline will have to be resolved. Right now the club is on a heater and went into the All-Star break having won eight of their last nine, and coming out of the break they will play nine straight games against below .500 teams, including another series against the lowly Oakland Athletics.
Needless to say, things are looking up for the Red Sox, but they’ve had a couple of impressive hot streaks already only to immediately face plant and fall back to square one.
How the Red Sox play over the next couple weeks should go a long way towards determining the club’s ultimate direction. If the Red Sox take advantage of the soft schedule and keep winning, there is a good bet Chaim Bloom will push his chips to the center of the table and bring in reinforcements.
If not? He and the organization could have some tough decisions to make ahead of Aug. 1.
How the Red Sox play through the rest of July isn’t the only thing that could impact the club’s approach at the trade deadline. The club is also getting healthier and should have some key players return at some point by mid-August.
Shortstop Yu Chang and left-hander Joely Rodriguez were both activated this past week, and fellow bullpen arms Richard Bleier and John Schreiber might not be far behind them. Then there is Trevor Story, who has made impressive progress since undergoing offseason elbow surgery and is now expected to begin his rehab assignment after the All-Star break. He’ll probably spend a good chunk of time in the minors working his way back, but at this point a return in early to mid-August looks likely.
Getting back the two-time All-Star would be a massive boost for the Red Sox offensively and defensively, and the same can be said for any combination of Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock. There is no set timetable for any of those starters to return, but all three have received positive news in their recoveries and are trending in the right direction.
We still haven’t seen this year’s Red Sox at full strength, so it will be fascinating to see how the club plays once it has everyone back.
For better or worse, the Red Sox are going to have plenty of chances to prove they belong in the playoff field.
Over the final two and a half months, 30 of Boston’s last 71 games are set to come against teams in the AL Wild Card or within four games of the last spot.
The Red Sox will play a three-game series at Seattle (45-44) the week of the trade deadline, six games against Toronto (50-41), and seven games each against Houston (50-41), New York (49-42) and Baltimore (54-35). Boston will play each of its AL East rivals at least once over the final three weeks in September, and the club will conclude the regular season with a potentially pivotal four-game set against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Masataka Yoshida has made a smooth transition to the big leagues, and ranks among the American League’s most prolific hitters.
Could his first season in MLB end with a batting title? He’s got a real shot.
Yoshida ranks third among qualified American League hitters with a .316 average, behind only Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz (.323) and Toronto’s Bo Bichette (.317). Texas’ Corey Seager, who spent about a month on the injured list during the spring, is also batting .353 and could be a contender if he keeps hitting and accumulates enough at bats down the stretch.
There’s still a lot of baseball to be played, and Yoshida has never experienced a full 162-game big league season, but if he keeps hitting at his current clip then a batting title chase could be an exciting subplot in what the Red Sox hope will be a thrilling run to the playoffs.