The Caleb Durbin trade looked like a problem for the Red Sox not all that long ago. Now it’s one of the clearest reasons Boston’s season has turned.
Durbin’s first few months in a Red Sox uniform were rough. The 26-year-old third baseman, acquired in a six-player offseason deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, was hitting just .183 with one home run - and that blast came off a position player - while carrying a .530 OPS before June 1. At the same time, the player Boston sent to Milwaukee as the centerpiece of the trade, left-hander Kyle Harrison, was rolling with a 6-1 record and a 1.57 ERA over 10 starts.
The rest of Boston’s return hardly moved the needle early on. Infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler were basically afterthoughts, and with Harrison pitching like a Cy Young contender, the trade was being painted as a major misfire - maybe even the kind that could cost Craig Breslow his job as Red Sox chief baseball officer.
Then June arrived, and the whole story flipped.
Since the start of that month, Durbin has been tied with Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Junior Caminero for the highest fWAR among third basemen at 2.3, which also ranks eighth among all MLB players. Over that same stretch, he’s third among qualified third basemen in batting average (.304), OPS (.893), and wRC+ (147), and he’s struck out the fewest at the position with 24.
He added to that surge in Boston’s 14-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, when he launched his first career grand slam onto the Green Monster in the opening inning.
Durbin isn’t the only Brewers import helping fuel Boston’s run. Monasterio has quietly been a force since the turnaround began on June 25, ranking second among qualified shortstops and 15th among all MLB players with at least 90 plate appearances with a .971 OPS. Seigler’s line doesn’t jump off the page, but he has chipped in with several memorable moments and has become a useful “glue guy” in the clubhouse.
Tony Seagulls!
Anthony Seigler leads the @RedSox off with a homer 💥 pic.twitter.com/45SkRAXHhe
- MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2026
That trio has completely changed how the trade is viewed. On Milwaukee’s side, Harrison has gone the other way, posting a 5.34 ERA since June 1.
Former Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan has actually been better in that same span, putting up a 3.86 ERA since June and a 3.48 ERA for the season. The third player Boston sent out, light-hitting infielder David Hamilton, has still offered little beyond his speed.
What once looked like a disaster now looks like a huge win for Boston, and another sign of how well Breslow’s offseason has played out. He also brought in slugging first baseman Willson Contreras and veteran right-hander Sonny Gray, who have been the MVPs of the offense and rotation, respectively. After missing out on veteran third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs - a loss that now looks like a blessing in disguise because of Durbin’s breakout - Breslow used those resources to sign left-hander Ranger Suarez, helping build one of the most dominant rotations in baseball.
Boston’s rise has been just as dramatic as the roster makeover. The Red Sox were 14 games under .500 on June 25 at 32-46.
Since then, they’ve gone 29-5 and climbed to 61-51, good for the second American League Wild Card spot. They’re also within striking distance in the AL East, sitting 5.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston will take a six-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game against the White Sox.
In Other News...
Red Sox Send Clear Message As Franklin Arias Pushes For Boston
The trade deadline made one thing clear for Boston: Franklin Arias was not going anywhere. While the Red Sox dealt away other notable prospects, the 20-year-old shortstop stayed put, a sign the organization sees him as part of the next wave rather than a chip to move for immediate help. Arias has backed up that belief with strong play at Double-A and Triple-A, which only adds to the buzz around one of the systems most interesting young infielders.
Even with that momentum, the Red Sox are treating Arias like a long-term piece, not a quick fix for a playoff push. Craig Breslow has made no secret of his excitement about the way Arias is developing, but the club is not looking to hurry him into Boston right now. For a team trying to balance present urgency with future value, Arias has become a useful reminder that not every answer has to arrive on the same timetable. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Have One Big Franklin Arias Question
With Marcelo Mayer no longer in the organization, the Red Sox suddenly have a lot less clarity about who might hold down shortstop in the years ahead. Andruw Monasterio has been getting looks there lately, but the longer view still seems to run through Franklin Arias, the prospect Boston has kept in Triple-A while he continues to put together a strong minor league season.
Arias has drawn interest from other clubs, which is hardly a surprise for a player who looks like a possible answer at a premium position. Even so, the Red Sox have treated him like more than a throw-in, suggesting they still see a real future for him in Boston. The question now is whether that faith turns into a decision to keep him in the pipeline, or whether the shortstop picture gets murkier before it gets clearer. [Read more 🡒]