There's no beating around the bush on this: Caleb Durbin has been a disaster at the plate for the Boston Red Sox this season. Through 14 games, he's hitting just .127/.226/.164 with nonexistent power (.031 ISO).
Considering how good he looked in spring training, it's fair to say this is one of the more disappointing starts to a player's tenure in recent team history. Andy yet, despite all of his offensive woes, Durbin is saving face by providing exemplary glove work at the hot corner.
Following the Red Sox's weekend series against the Cardinals, Durbin is the proud owner of +2 Defensive Runs Saved according to FanGraphs and Twitter user Thomas Nestico, which ranks fifth-best in MLB. That hasn't quite salvaged his frigid start — he's still been worth -0.2 fWAR to this point — but it does provide hope that better days are soon to come for the former Milwaukee Brewer.
Caleb Durbin's defensive evolution gives him a solid floor as he works through struggles at the plate with Red Sox
Defensive Runs Saved Leaders - Third Baseman pic.twitter.com/tbjDaHQSRD
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 17, 2026
It's pretty amazing that Durbin has become this good on defense at third base this quickly; he came up through the New York Yankees' farm system primarily as a middle infielder and only started focusing on the hot corner in spring training last year. Matt Erickson (a wizard when it comes to infield defense) helped turn the 26-year-old into a strong defender, but this next step has been a welcome sight amidst his offensive struggles.
It's also mighty impressive that Durbin has been so sturdy at third that there's no been no conversations about flipping him and Marcelo Mayer, despite the latter showing off a quality glove of his own while filling in for Alex Bregman a year ago.
Of course, playing third base in Boston comes with bigger expectations than just racking up outs above average. A recent lineage that includes Bregman, Rafael Devers, Kevin Youkilis, and Mike Lowell have set the bar rather high, unfair as that may seem for a newcomer like Durbin.
The good news is that the foundation behind Durbin's approach at that plate hasn't suddenly disappeared; he remains adept at getting on base and avoiding strikeouts thanks to well-above-average discipline on pitches outside the zone. As we're figuring out in real time, that can't be the crux of a profile on its own, but it is as good a place to start as any.
And it's not like the Red Sox need him to experience a Wilyer Abreu-esque breakout. Even league-average offense (which he provided to the Brewers in 2025) would be enough to prop up his value in conjunction with his growth at the hot corner.
Add us as a preferred source on Google