The Boston Red Sox are 10-10 through the first 20 games of the 2025 season. It's a similar position to where they were for most of 2024, when they finished the season at 81-81, and their record sat at .500 over 20 times on the way there.
The Red Sox have shown huge potential early on in the season. The offense has shown signs of living up to their potential and the pitching has dazzled in spurts. But still, consistency has been a problem through the first 15 games leaving the Red Sox with four key questions they still need to answer in the 2025 campaign.
4 burning questions the Red Sox are nowhere close to answering
Can the Red Sox win the “easy games?"
The Red Sox are 2-1 against the division-rival Orioles, who made the 2024 postseason, showing they can play up to their competition. The Sox have struggled with weaker opponents to start the year, though. So far, the Red Sox dropped two of three games against the White Sox, getting popped 11-1 in the Friday night opener. They also lost three of four to the Blue Jays, and three of four to the Texas Rangers.
In 2024, the Red Sox went 55-39 against teams that didn’t make the playoffs, making up for the squad going 27-44 against teams that did make the playoffs. If the Red Sox struggle against non-playoff teams in 2025, it could be harder to keep pace with the top competition in the league, especially if 2024’s struggles with top competition resurface.
Which version of Walker Buehler did the Sox get?
In Walker Buehler’s first two starts in a Red Sox jersey, the numbers didn’t foreshadow a return to his 2021 All-Star form. In 9.1 innings pitched, he clocked 14 hits, one walk, seven strikeouts, and 9 earned runs with three home runs. Of the 163 total pitches thrown, just 103 were strikes, 63% of his total.
But in Buehler’s third start, he flipped the switch. He tossed 6.1 innings of four-hit, one-run ball, with seven strikeouts, no long balls, and a 69% strike throwing percentage.
It was easily his best regular-season outing since 2022 and showed his potential to get back on track after missing 2023 and a large portion of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. With the Red Sox still missing key parts of the rotation in 2025, getting longer and longer outings out of Buehler and saving the bullpen will be key to early-season success.
Can the defense improve quickly?
A healthy Trevor Story and the addition of Alex Bregman were supposed to remedy some of the Red Sox's recent defensive woes. For the past two seasons, the Sox have led the American League in errors. The 2025 Red Sox lead MLB with 20 errors in the field through 20 games.
All total errors in the field have led to 15 unearned runs. Considering that five of the Sox's eight losses have been decided by three runs or less, cleaning up the errors will be a key factor in determining close games as the season goes along.
How do the Red Sox find consistency in the offense?
The Red Sox are batting .294 in wins and .196 in losses. They lead the league in strikeouts yet again with 197, and are batting .230 with runners in scoring position. Some of their biggest bats have struggled in the early goings, and it's costing them games.
Rafael Devers' big step at the plate since his slow start should help the Sox balance it out some, but six of their 10 losses have been decided by three runs or less. Balancing the offense will help turn some of those L’s into W’s, but it'll require Jarren Duran, Devers and Triston Casas to produce consistently, which they haven't thus far.
This Red Sox team has shown big potential in 2025, balancing the highs and lows will be the difference between being a playoff team or not this season. It’s still early and there is plenty of time to figure it out.