The Boston Red Sox’s 2026 season has already taken plenty of turns, from the early firing of Alex Cora to a stretch that has them right in the postseason picture. And with October getting close, one national prediction has Boston making a run that goes all the way to the World Series.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer laid out his full American League playoff bracket, and the Red Sox came out on the other side with a trip to the Fall Classic. He has Boston finishing 91-71 and landing the No. 2 wild card spot, just behind the Yankees at 92-70.
That sets up a wild card matchup in New York, where Rymer sees the Red Sox advancing in two games. It’s a daring call on paper, especially with the games taking place in Yankee Stadium, but his read comes with a clear condition: Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray are the pitchers in that series. If Boston gets its aces in that spot, the odds tilt in its favor.
From there, Rymer sends the Red Sox into a best-of-five against the Rays and has Boston taking that series in four games. One of the biggest reasons he points to is the Red Sox’s road work, noting that they “would be the best road team (40-31) left standing in the AL playoffs.”
That kind of edge matters once the games move into October. Boston has been better away from home than anyone else left in the projected AL field, and Rymer thinks that advantage carries into the postseason.
The final stop on his path is the American League Championship Series against the Guardians, with the Red Sox winning in six games. Of the three projected opponents, Cleveland is the one that would likely draw the least attention, though Rymer still sees them as a team that can make the postseason messy.
There’s a logic to the whole bracket. Boston’s pitching gives it a chance to handle the Yankees in a short series, especially with Roman Anthony back in the lineup and the offense capable of doing damage.
The Rays would be the toughest hurdle, but not an impossible one if the bats stay hot. And against the Guardians, Rymer sees a matchup where the Red Sox can match elite pitching with a dangerous lineup.
In the end, his forecast is simple: the Red Sox beat the Yankees, Rays and Guardians and reach the World Series. It’s bold, but not far-fetched, and that’s what makes it stand out.
In Other News...
Yankees Have A New Rays Problem In The AL East Race
The Rays have found another useful piece in catcher Liam Hicks, a low-profile trade pickup from Miami that cost Tampa Bay only a deal built around three players outside the Marlins top 10 prospects. Since arriving in Tampa Bay, Hicks has immediately looked like the kind of quietly effective add that can change the tone of a division race, giving the Rays more production behind the plate and another bat that fits their usual knack for squeezing value out of under-the-radar moves.
For the Yankees, the concern is less about the trade itself and more about what it says about a rival that keeps finding ways to stay in the mix. Hicks has hit .328/.425/.522 in 23 games with 13 RBIs and three homers, and he comes with club control through the 2030 season, which gives Tampa Bay a longer runway than a typical deadline-style pickup. In a crowded AL East, those are the kinds of additions that can matter in September, and the Rays have another one on their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Volpes Yankees Return Just Got More Complicated
Anthony Volpes road back to the Yankees took an unwelcome turn over the weekend when he was hit by a pitch in a Triple-A game and left with a right forearm contusion, according to ESPNs Jorge Castillo. Volpe had initially stayed in the game, even stealing a base and taking another at-bat before exiting in the sixth inning, a sequence that suggested he might have avoided anything serious at first glance.
Now the bigger concern is whether the injury slows the timeline for his return to the Major Leagues. The Yankees have been waiting for Volpe to work his way back into their plans, and any setback in Triple-A adds another layer of uncertainty to a process that already requires careful timing. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Frustrating Void At A Spot They Once Owned
For years, catcher was one of the Yankees most recognizable strengths when it came to offensive production behind the plate. Since the Silver Slugger Awards were introduced in 1980, the organization has had a parade of winners there, with Jorge Posada, Mike Stanley, Brian McCann and Gary Snchez all taking turns turning the position into a source of middle-of-the-order impact.
Snchezs 2017 win looked like the high-water mark, and it has been hard for the Yankees to recreate that kind of offensive edge at catcher since. The franchise now finds itself watching a spot it once seemed to own slip into uncertainty, with current and future options carrying the burden of restoring that Silver Slugger standard even as the wider history of the award shows how rare sustained dominance at the position can be. [Read more 🡒]