The Boston Red Sox have played a full month of baseball, and some surprising trends have emerged this early in the season.
There have been some bright spots, breakouts for promising young players, Rafael Devers has found his footing, and the outfield defense has been excellent. But some issues that were seemingly resolved over the offseason have lingered for the 2025 Red Sox.
Here are the three biggest surprises from early in the Red Sox's season, from hot stars by unexpected players to unwelcome trends from last season.
3 biggest surprises in the first few weeks of the Red Sox's season
Wilyer Abreu's early ascent
During the offseason, Wilyer Abreu's name surfaced in trade rumors. Even now, he still hasn’t been approached about a contract extension despite his hot start.
In his rookie season, he struggled at the plate, often inconsistent in his approach. The 2024 Gold Glove winner entered this season looking to separate himself from Boston’s talented but crowded outfield. Just weeks into the campaign, he's emerged as an offensive force, slashing .271/.386/.482, but he started the season as one of the hottest hitters in baseball, batting in the .300s until April 17.
While Roman Anthony has been crushing it in Triple-A, what happens when he eventually joins the Red Sox? A few months ago, Abreu seemed to be the likely choice to be traded for pitching help, but his development has made Craig Breslow’s decision nearly impossible. Do you trade the arguable face of the franchise, Jarren Duran? Or do you keep Abreu, Anthony and Duran and roll with an all-lefty outfield?
Red Sox's defensive woes continue
After fielding one of the worst all-around infields last year, the Red Sox believed they upgraded during the offseason. They have Triston Casas and Trevor Story back and healthy, they called up Kristian Campbell and signed Alex Bregman to help fix a defense that led the American League in errors the past two seasons.
But the Red Sox have two players ranked in the top five for the most errors committed this season. Casas’ potential double-play error in the fourth inning of Boston's 11-1 blowout loss to Chicago
Red Sox continue striking out at a high clip
The Red Sox lineup is filled with aggressive hitters who know what they like. It’s a mix of patience and power — a potentially great but volatile combination that can get into deep counts and struggle at times. Boston ranks fifth in walks, sixth in RBI and second in strikeouts. Striking out was a major issue last season for the Red Sox, as they ranked third in the league, with Duran leading the pack with 160.
Devers had that historically bad start at the plate, setting a record with 10 strikeouts in the first three games. Devers now has 36 strikeouts in 27 games.
The story of last season seemed to be that the offense made up for poor pitching, and the pitching made up for poor offense. The 2024 Red Sox could never find the balance of having all cylinders firing at once. Things have been trending upward for this year’s Red Sox, and the roster will likely look different come summer. Overall, some issues have lingered from last year, but with a bright future of young stars, the Red Sox have a promising season to look forward to.