The Boston Red Sox have spent most of 2026 doing the impossible: turning a season that looked lost in June into one that now has them right in the thick of the American League race.
That latest jolt came Saturday, when Boston stormed back in the ninth inning and walked off the San Francisco Giants. The win pushed the Red Sox to 70-59, making them just the third team in the American League to hit 70 victories this season.
The climb is hard to overstate. On June 24, Boston was 32-46 and sinking fast.
Since then, the Red Sox have ripped through the standings and are now three games behind the New York Yankees for second place in the American League East. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by six games, but the division remains very much alive, especially with Boston and Tampa Bay still set to meet again this season.
At the top of the standings, the Rays sit at 76-53, while the Yankees are 73-56. Boston has also surged past clubs that have been in the playoff mix all year. The Chicago White Sox are 67-62, the Cleveland Guardians are 64-66, and in the American League West, the Houston Astros lead at 65-65 with the Texas Rangers one game back at 64-66.
What Boston has done from that June low point is staggering. The Red Sox have gone from the bottom of the American League to sitting ahead of just about everyone else in the race. If someone had predicted back in June that Boston would be the third American League club to reach 70 wins, it would have sounded far-fetched.
And the scary part for everyone else? Boston may not be done climbing.
Roman Anthony and Trevor Story are close to returning, along with Isiah Kiner-Falefa. That only adds to a team that already looks dangerous, and the gap between Boston and the teams ahead of it could keep shrinking from here.
In Other News...
Garrett Crochets Rehab Just Changed Bostons Long-Term Outlook
Garrett Crochets rehab is starting to look more substantial, even if the Red Sox are still being patient with the left-hander. He has been on the injured list since April 25 with shoulder and lat issues, but he is now throwing out to 90 feet with intensity, a sign that his return-to-play process is moving forward after a long stretch away from game action.
The bigger twist for Boston arrived with the calendar, not the mound. On his 120th straight day on the injured list, a provision in Crochets six-year, $170 million deal kicked in, wiping out his opt-out after the 2030 season and adding a club option for 2032. If he does pitch again this year, the Red Sox are expecting that to come in a bullpen role, leaving the team to balance the immediate need for his arm with a contract that now carries even more long-term weight. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Roster Crunch Could Be About To Get Real
Roman Anthony is set to continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, keeping one of the Red Soxs most closely watched young players on the comeback track. Meanwhile, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are both slated for evaluations Monday as the club tries to determine whether either is ready to return, adding another layer to a roster situation that has been building for days.
Chad Tracy said the team should have more information after its upcoming games, which means the picture could shift quickly depending on how those rehab checks go. For Boston, the interest is less about the rehab assignments themselves than what they might trigger next, since a few decisions could be coming in short order once the evaluations are complete. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Have A Bigger Chad Tracy Decision Waiting After This Run
Since Chad Tracy took over in April, the Red Sox have played well enough to make his status one of the quieter but more important storylines hanging over the rest of the season. He is still the interim manager for now, but the way Boston has responded to him has already pushed him to the front of the conversation about the clubs long-term direction, and he has earned a level of trust inside the clubhouse that managers do not build overnight.
The Red Sox are reportedly leaning toward giving Tracy the job full time before the 2027 season, though no final call has been made. For now, the club plans to let the season finish and then weigh his work as a whole, even as he has emerged as a leading AL Manager of the Year candidate and given Boston a much steadier footing than it had when he first stepped in. [Read more 🡒]