The Boston Red Sox have gone from buried to buzzing in a hurry.
A sweep of the Chicago White Sox on July 9 pushed Boston to a season-high six-game winning streak, and the club has now won 14 of its last 19. That kind of run changes the conversation fast. What looked like a team drifting in the AL East has suddenly shoved itself back into the postseason picture, sitting 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot as it heads to New York for the final series before the All-Star break.
The turnaround has been sharp enough to show up in the numbers. Before the surge, Boston was sitting at 29-43 and had not found much traction.
Since then, the Red Sox are 14-5, with their longest winning streak of the year reaching six games. They’ve also stacked up sweeps over the Yankees, Angels and White Sox along the way.
At the center of it all is Willson Contreras, who was just added to the AL All-Star squad alongside teammates Aroldis Chapman and Ranger Suarez, though Suarez will miss the event. Contreras has looked like the middle-of-the-order force Boston needed, hitting .285/.379/.542 with 20 home runs.
Over the last 15 days, his slugging percentage has been near .800 and his OPS has reached 1.199. He’ll also become the first Boston player to take part in the Home Run Derby since 2011.
The pitching has done plenty of heavy lifting too. Even without Garrett Crochet, Boston’s rotation has held up with Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Suarez leading the charge. The Red Sox have climbed into the top ten in MLB with a 3.67 team ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, a major jump from where they were earlier in the season.
Gray, Suarez and Tolle have each delivered in their first season in Boston, all posting ERAs of 3.15 or better while striking out more than eight batters per nine innings. With the reigning MLB strikeout leader out, the Red Sox needed their starters to cover the gap, and that’s exactly what has happened during this stretch.
The depth has mattered just as much. Boston has been dealing with injuries to Crochet and star outfielder Roman Anthony, but other players have helped keep the momentum rolling. Caleb Durbin, after a slow start to his Red Sox career, has been a key part of the push with a .815 OPS, three home runs and seven RBI over the last 15 days.
Romy Gonzalez has provided steady defense, while Ceddanne Rafaela has been covering ground in center field and helping Boston’s run prevention take shape. When the offense cools off, the bullpen has kept things from unraveling.
During the six-game winning streak, Garrett Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero and Aroldis Chapman have repeatedly closed the door in tight one-run games. Chapman, of course, also just broke the all-time MLB relief strikeout record.
That all adds up to a team that has forced its way back into the race. As of July 10, Boston sits tied with Toronto at 43-48, 2.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot, with a crowded group of teams packed tightly around it in the standings.
In Other News...
Red Sox Draft Buzz Suddenly Points To A Familiar First Round Dilemma
With the 2026 MLB Draft still ahead, the Red Sox are once again in that familiar spot where the board can tilt in a few different directions and the final answer is anything but obvious. Boston sits at No. 20 overall, and the latest round of mock drafts has kept the club in the mix for a range of players, from left-handed pitchers Hunter Dietz, Cole Carlon and Brody Bumila to bats like Bo Lowrance and Daniel Jackson.
What stands out is how many different profiles are still being attached to the pick, which says as much about the uncertainty around the class as it does about Bostons own priorities. Some evaluators see the Red Sox leaning toward pitching, others connect them to hitters, and a few names such as Taylor Rabe and Ace Reese have also surfaced, leaving the club with a decision that still feels very much open as draft day gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Snub Suddenly Has A Real Shot At All-Star Redemption
Ranger Suarez landing on the injured list during a recent series has suddenly reopened a door the Red Sox thought had already been shut for the summer. The All-Star picture looked settled when Suarez was selected and Sonny Gray was left on the outside looking in, even though Gray has put together the kind of season that usually gets a pitcher invited to the midsummer stage.
Grays case has only grown stronger as the year has gone on, and the timing of Suarezs injury now gives the league a reason to revisit the roster. For Boston, it adds another layer to an already familiar frustration: a pitcher who has done plenty to earn the honor may finally get the chance only because circumstances forced the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Catching Prospect Fans Can't Ignore
Johanfran Garcia has turned his first Double-A season into something the Red Sox cant really overlook. The catcher, who has been in the organization since 2022, is hitting .299 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs in 52 games, a strong jump from the kind of offensive production he had shown in earlier seasons and a sign that his bat is starting to match the promise Boston has long seen in him.
What makes the run even more notable is that Garcia was sent straight to Portland out of spring training, so this is his first real test at the level and he has handled it with authority. For a system always searching for impact players behind the plate, his performance is starting to put him into the conversation for Bostons future plans, even if the next step still has to be earned. [Read more 🡒]