The Boston Red Sox spent much of the season looking like a team headed for a collapse. Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet were both hurt, Alex Cora was fired by the Red Sox, and by June 24 they were sitting at 32-46. At that point, the season seemed to be slipping away fast.
Then Chad Tracy and the Red Sox caught fire.
Over the summer, Boston ripped off a major turnaround, erased a huge amount of ground, and locked up a playoff spot. For a club that looked dead in the water, it was one of the more impressive midseason recoveries in MLB history.
That’s why ESPN’s grade for the Red Sox landed so strangely. David Schoenfield gave Boston a “B” for the 2026 season, a mark that feels light for a team that fought its way back from such a brutal spot.
"Boston Red Sox: B. The Red Sox are a playoff team, which isn't necessarily a surprise, but it's a huge surprise given they were 32-46 on June 24 and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appeared like he might be joining manager Alex Cora on the unemployment line," Schoenfield writes.
Boston didn’t win the AL East and isn’t going to reach 100 wins, but that doesn’t erase how dramatic the rebound was. The Yankees, Padres, and Dodgers all received a B+ from ESPN, while the White Sox got an A even though they might not win the AL Central.
To be fair, ESPN’s grades are based on context, and Boston entered the year as a postseason contender. In that sense, a playoff berth wasn’t a shock.
But the route the Red Sox took to get there absolutely was. And that’s what makes the “B” feel undersold. For a team that transformed its season the way Boston did under Tracy, the grade seems like it should have climbed at least a letter, if not more.
In Other News...
Red Sox Weekend Suddenly Comes With A Schedule Concern Fans Need To Watch
A late-September series at Fenway already carries enough weight on its own, but the Red Sox now have to keep an eye on the skies as well. Their final regular-season matchup with the Cubs is set to be played in Boston, and the forecast calls for rain on every day of the series, turning what should be a straightforward weekend into a logistical headache.
MLB and both clubs are monitoring the situation closely, and for now there are no plans to relocate the games out of Boston. Still, the potential for delays or other schedule changes hangs over the series, and that could complicate the rhythm for both teams as they try to get through the final stretch of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face Immediate Outfield Decisions As Key Bat Nears Return
Ceddanne Rafaela is on track to come back Wednesday, giving the Red Sox a needed boost after nearly a month away with a right quadriceps strain. Before the injury, the center fielder had been in the middle of a strong season, helping Boston in ways that showed up both in the lineup and in the outfield, where his range and overall value have been hard to replace.
His return also puts the Red Sox right back into the kind of day-to-day outfield juggling that tends to matter most this time of year. With the postseason approaching, Boston has to sort out how Rafaela fits into the lineup and the defensive alignment, and his activation should make the roster look deeper even as it forces some immediate decisions about who moves where. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Raised The Stakes On Craig Breslow Debate
Craig Breslows run as chief baseball officer has given the Red Sox something they have not had often enough in recent years: stability. Since taking over in the 2023-24 offseason, Boston has avoided a losing season and reached the playoffs in back-to-back years, a baseline that would have looked pretty appealing when he first arrived. Now ownership has pushed the conversation further by exercising contract options that extend his deal through the 2029 and 2030 seasons, a move that says plenty about where the organization stands on his body of work.
The extension also sharpens the debate around his tenure, because Breslows time in charge has not been without friction. The Red Sox have made notable roster moves under his watch, and the handling of player situations has drawn its share of scrutiny along the way. For a club trying to balance patience with ambition, the new commitment from ownership raises the stakes on every decision that follows, and it makes the next stretch of Breslows tenure matter even more. [Read more 🡒]