The Boston Red Sox have had a disappointing first two months of the season. They are under .500, continuously lose one-run games, and are terrible defensively (...again).
But all hope is not lost. There are still four months of the season left and the American League Wild Card race is wide open. Changes need to be made if the Red Sox truly want to contend.
Three difficult roster decisions the Red Sox must address as soon as possible
Trevor Story
To start, Trevor Story needs to be designated for assignment. The 32-year-old has been one of the worst hitters in the majors since late April. May was extremely rough; he hit .158 with a .432 OPS and had a split relative OPS+ of 21 (meaning he was 79 percent below league average at the plate in May). He is also in the 10th percentile in outs above average. Somehow, he has a 0.3 bWAR, but that doesn't feel representative of the way Sox fans have seen him perform.
His presence in the clubhouse might be helpful to the young core of players, but it's time for Story to go. His succession plan, Marcelo Mayer, is already on the roster. Other players can play third base until Alex Bregman is back. Story is more of a liability at this point than an asset, and the Red Sox need to make a change.
The outfield
Roman Anthony needs to make his MLB debut. It's going to take some reshuffling of the lineup and the roster, but baseball's number one prospect deserves his shot. It may take trading favorites Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu during this season, which would upset fans, or benching Ceddanne Rafaela, who's been hot as of late.
This situation is already infuriating fans because they want Anthony in the majors, but there isn't a place to play him regularly. The solution is going to be uncomfortable, and not everyone is going to be happy, but Anthony has nothing more to prove in Worcester.
Kristian Campbell
Campbell burst onto the scene in April and quickly asserted himself in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation. After a rough spring, he broke camp with the major league squad and won Rookie of the Month in April. He finished the first month hitting .301 with a .902 OPS, 12 RBIs, and 12 extra-base hits. Since then he's hitting just .137 with an OPS well under .400 and two extra base hits. He's been stuck in an extended slump and can't seem to find his way out.
It's about time for the Red Sox to send him down to Worcester for a week or two. He needs time to reset and find his approach again. If the Sox truly want to contend, they need everyone firing on all cylinders, and having a rookie who's struggling as much as him, and not an asset on defense (third percentile in outs above average), isn't helping anything.