Of all the issues the Boston Red Sox have experienced early in the 2026 season, their offensive troubles are by far the most shocking. Yes, the team was built on quality pitching, which also hasn't lived up to the hype so far, but the offense can't be described as anything short of a disaster.
The Red Sox make atrocious swing decisions, — they have the second-lowest in-zone swing percentage in the league and the lowest meatball swing percentage — constantly hit the ball into the ground and almost never give a competitive at-bat with runners on base. In just the second full week of the season, Boston already had its hitting coach, Pete Fatse, giving postgame interviews after a brutal performance against Dustin May, of all people.
The disastrous start at the plate has had some Red Sox fans calling for coaching changes, and even a managerial switch. While there's been no official report that Boston is on the hunt for new coaching talent, Chris Cotillo of MassLive speculated on Twitter that Carlos Delgado could be a good hitting coach candidate for multiple reasons.
Again, Cotillo did NOT report that the Red Sox are already looking for a new hitting coach just that Delgado could be a fit — he's not even certain that Delgado is seeking a major league coaching job. But he's close with Alex Cora, who has reportedly cited his hitting philosophy in the past.
Red Sox reporter fuels hitting coach change speculation, names former slugger, WBC coach as potential candidate
Red Sox fans likely know Delgado best as a longtime Toronto Blue Jays first baseman and slugger who could put up 30-40 home runs per season. He also played for the then-Flordia Marlins and New York Mets later in his career. Delgado signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in 2010 but only played five games with the PawSox He holds the record for the most major league home runs hit by a Puerto Rican player with 473 in his 17-year career.
Delgado has no major league coaching experience, though he did serve as a hitting coach for Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic. But whether they're coveting Delgado, someone else entirely or sticking with their coaching plan, the Red Sox need to come around offensively, and soon.
The source of the Red Sox's hitting issues is still up for debate less than a month into the season. They're aggressive at the plate, but on all the wrong pitches. They don't hit the ball in the air. The lineup has almost no home run power, which is the front office's fault, but coaching and management's problem to fix.
But something needs to change quickly. The "it's early" and "we're trying to do too much" explanations are wearing out their welcome and the Red Sox's horrendous early offense could be digging them into a hole they won't be able to escape come September.
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