We still haven’t seen the Red Sox at full strength this season, and that’s what makes the current push so intriguing. Boston is sitting at 64-52, has climbed out of the hole it was in six weeks ago, and is now looking like a team headed for October despite all the key pieces it has been missing.
The comeback has been even more impressive because it’s happened without Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, both of whom were on the injured list when the season still looked shaky. But they’re not the only names Boston would love to get back. New additions Adley Rutschman and Curtis Mead are also on the injured list, and so are infielders Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
So what would the Red Sox look like if the playoffs started Sunday? A dream version of the roster would be loaded from top to bottom:
- Roman Anthony LF
- Ceddanne Rafaela CF
- Adley Rutschman C
- Willson Contreras 1B
- Wilyer Abreu RF
- Curtis Mead 2B
- Masataka Yoshida DH
- Caleb Durbin 3B
- Andruw Monasterio SS
Bench: Jarren Duran, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Anthony Seigler, Eli White, Connor Wong
That’s a lot of talent to fit onto one roster, and it leaves some tough calls. Trevor Story would be the biggest name squeezed out, but based on what happened earlier this year, Kiner-Falefa would have a stronger argument for a spot. Anthony Seigler, too, has done enough to belong in the mix.
Even just reading that lineup, the upside jumps off the page. Every starter could bring a dangerous at-bat, and if Anthony, Rutschman, and Mead all make it back healthy, Boston’s offense suddenly looks much more complete.
The pitching side is just as stacked:
SP1: Sonny Gray
SP2: Ranger Suárez
SP3: Payton Tolle
SP4/LRP: Jake Bennett
LRP: Garrett Crochet
LRP: Brayan Bello
RP: Erik Miller
RP: Jovani Morán
RP: Tyron Guerrero
RP: Justin Slaten
RP: Garrett Whitlock
CL: Aroldis Chapman
There isn’t much to argue with there. It’s about as strong a staff as the Red Sox can put together, and having Crochet available as a long-relief or short-relief weapon only makes the group more dangerous.
In Other News...
Red Sox Trade Is Already Creating A Debate Boston Fans Dread
The Adley Rutschman trade is already under the microscope in Boston, and one of the young arms coming back to Baltimore wasted little time giving the deal some early shape. Anthony Eyanson, now in the Orioles system, made his debut for the Chesapeake Baysox and worked five innings while giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, with nine strikeouts. For Red Sox fans still sorting through what it means to part with a star catcher, every first appearance from the other side of the deal feels like part of the same running evaluation.
Kyson Witherspoon was also on the mound for his first start in the Orioles organization the same day, adding another layer to a trade that will be judged for years rather than weeks. Boston moved Rutschman because it believed the long-term return could help reshape the roster, but early outings from the prospects are only fueling the uneasy debate that comes with any big deadline deal. The real answer is still far off, and that is exactly what makes these first impressions matter so much. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Lost A Reliever They Werent Ready To Give Up
The Red Sox had to shuffle their bullpen mix to make room for Erik Miller, optioning Greg Weissert and Romy Gonzalez and clearing a roster spot in the process. In the middle of that maneuver, Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson became the odd man out, a reminder of how quickly the back end of a roster can change when a club is trying to manage both immediate needs and longer-term pieces.
Watsons path now shifts to the Angels, who added him after a wave of bullpen trades and put him on their 40-man roster. For Boston, it is another case of seeing a pitcher with some intriguing traits move on before the organization could find out how far the development might go, and the kind of roster loss that tends to linger because the upside is still easy to imagine. [Read more 🡒]
Triston Casas Just Raised A Bigger Red Sox Problem At First Base
Triston Casas frustrating run of health issues has taken another turn, and it only deepens the uncertainty around first base for Boston. Since May 2025, Casas has been trying to work through a patellar tendon rupture and an abdominal injury, setbacks that have already slowed his playing time and development and made it hard for the Red Sox to get any real momentum with him at the position.
Now the broader question is no longer just when Casas comes back, but what Boston does next. The club has other names in the mix for first base, including Willson Contreras and prospects Kristian Campbell and Jack Winnay, which leaves the Red Sox looking at a spot that once seemed like it might be settled and instead feels very much up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]