Caleb Durbin’s surge has turned the Red Sox’s third-base decision into one of the stranger wins of Boston’s season.
With the club riding a historic run and climbing into the upper tier of the American League, it’s easy for a story like this to get buried under the bigger picture. But Durbin has gone from early-season liability to one of the lineup’s most productive bats, and that shift has put Boston’s choice to move on from Alex Bregman in a very different light.
Since June 1, Durbin has been the second-most valuable hitter in the Red Sox lineup, hitting .297/.356/.527 with a 141 wRC+. That stretch has pulled his season line up to .235/.300/.394, which still lands below average at 89 wRC+, but it’s a far cry from where he sat in May. He also delivered one of the signature moments of Boston’s 15-game win streak, launching an eighth-inning homer against the Baltimore Orioles.
The numbers have gotten even more eye-catching when stacked against Bregman’s. Durbin’s .694 OPS is better than Bregman’s .688, and the two players are sitting in a remarkably close statistical race overall.
Caleb Durbin this season:
.699 OPS, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 305 AB
Alex Bregman this season:
.699 OPS, 10 HR 43 RBI, 386 AB pic.twitter.com/7pO4Kdgrkk
- Jake Iggy (@JakeIggy) July 21, 2026
Bregman has been a vocal and defensive presence for a strong Cubs team, but he’s also been one of the weaker bats in that lineup. With his salary sitting at $35 million AAV, the production hasn’t matched the price tag. Durbin, by contrast, is making $796,000 this year and has given Boston quality defense at third base along with the offensive rebound.
That’s what makes this turn so striking. There was plenty of frustration after Bregman left in free agency, and it only got louder when Durbin opened the year in a historic slump while Kyle Harrison quickly took off in Milwaukee. At that point, the hole at third base looked too deep to climb out of this quickly.
Instead, Durbin has not only stabilized his own season, he’s even out-produced Rafael Devers in total value, with Devers at 1.2 fWAR. Bregman, a three-time All-Star, is still the kind of player who could catch fire at any point, and Durbin probably settles somewhere between his rough early months and his hotter stretch since June.
But for now, Boston has every reason to enjoy the moment. The Red Sox may have found out the hard way that their third-base decision looks a lot smarter than it did a few months ago.
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The better contact has come with more impact, too, as Campbell has recently turned in multiple home runs and even a 2-for-3 game with a homer during this surge. For a player the Red Sox still view as part of their long-term picture, that kind of production creates a familiar roster dilemma: keep letting him build momentum in Worcester, or keep the door open for another look in Boston while the bat is finally starting to look like it belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans Turned Fenway Into Absolute Chaos Against Toronto
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The stunt has become a recognizable bit of baseball fan culture after starting in college football and catching on in MLB through St. Louis Cardinals supporters, who eventually got a dedicated high-energy section at Busch Stadium. Bostons version fit the moment at Fenway perfectly, with fans leaning into the chaos and making sure the atmosphere felt less like a routine divisional game and more like a full-on rally. [Read more 🡒]