It’s rarely a good idea to judge a baseball team in April. It can even be unwise to do so in May or even June. They play 162 games for a reason; you need a large sample size to come to accurate conclusions.
However, there are things we can take note of, even just 20-something games into the season. Trends — both alarming and reassuring — have presented themselves, and while they might not be indicative of the entire season, they give us a launching pad to make proclamations.
The 2025 Red Sox are hovering around a .500 record again, as they did last season. With that in mind, here are some early takeaways and trends we've noticed in the first few weeks of the campaign.
3 Early Season Takeaways: What we’ve learned about the Red Sox so far
Defense wasn’t a Rafael Devers problem
Even after replacing Rafael Devers’ third-base defense with 2024 Gold Glover Alex Bregman’s, inserting reigning Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu into more of an everyday role, and seeing a rejuvenated, healthy Trevor Story man the shortstop position, the Red Sox lead baseball in two ignominious categories: errors and unearned runs allowed.
Those numbers don’t even include mental gaffes such as Jarren Duran throwing behind a base-runner or a Story-Kristian Campbell miscommunication turning a double-play ball into a big inning. Game after game, the Sox have looked unconvincing at best on that side of the ball, which has been a glaring issue since Mookie Betts’s departure in 2020. The unit should improve as the year trudges on, but the early returns point to an organizational failure to prepare.
The offense is better than it appears
The Sox have scored more than four runs just five times in their first 20 games. That’s… not good.
It won’t last forever, though. Devers, Jarren Duran and Triston Casas won’t struggle all season, and each has pretty good underlying data. Rafaela’s struggling bat will likely be replaced by top prospect Roman Anthony’s at some point before too long, and steady-if-unspectacular designated hitter Masataka Yoshida should find himself off the IL at some point before June.
The pitching staff hasn't lived up to expectations
A big fat star belongs next to this take, because a lot can change with this staff over the coming months. But, to start, the pitching has been mediocre.
Garrett Crochet has dominated, but Tanner Houck has been otherworldly horrible, Walker Buehler has been okay, Sean Newcomb puts runners on base like there’s no tomorrow, and Richard Fitts’ promising spell hit a snag when he strained his pec on April 12. Top depth option Quinn Priester was shipped to Milwaukee (where he’s looked excellent) and the rehabbing Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have struggled in recent outings.
At the back end, Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock have been generally solid, but the rest of the bullpen is a bit of a question mark on a night-to-night basis. Justin Slaten and Zack Kelly have looked shaky at times, and Justin Wilson, Brennan Bernardino, and Greg Weissert are all pretty matchup-dependent.
The Sox could be on the up and up, though. Former All-Star Liam Hendriks is reportedly mere days away from joining the late-innings crew, and Bello and Giolito could easily turn it around once they hit the bigs. Other depth, such as Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval, could return midseason, and toolsy prospects such as Shane Drohan and Hunter Dobbins are already making their cases to join the big-league staff. For now, though, the pitching staff is untrustworthy and feels an injury or two away from complete crisis.