Caleb Durbin and 2 players Red Sox fans are already fed up with in 2026

It has been a disastrous season for the Boston Red Sox and it has shown no signs of abating.

The Red Sox were a playoff team a year ago, but they got rid of slugger Rafael Devers and received very little in return. They brought in Alex Bregman to play third baseman, but they could not retain him for the 2026 season.

Instead, they traded for Milwaukee Brewer spark plug in Caleb Durbin to play third base. The reduction in production from Devers to Bregman to Durbin has been an unmitigated failure.

It is just one of the moves (or non-moves) that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has made that have helped turn the team into a last-place organization in the American League East.

They recently exchanged places with the Baltimore Orioles and got out of the American League East cellar, but the only reason that the Red Sox have not waved the white flag on 2026 is the poor showing by the rest of the American League. The Red Sox have a 21-27 record, but they are just 2.0 games behind the Texas Rangers for the last AL Wild Card spot.

They are not really in contention for a playoff spot because they simply can’t score runs, but the level of competition is low in the AL this season.

Prior to a 7-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night, the Red Sox had been held to 3 runs or less in eight consecutive games.

Durbin is in over his head

In this piece we are going to look at 3 players who have been major disappointments, but much of the blame lies with owner John Henry and Breslow for not bringing in quality veteran talent and sending the message that the Red Sox will not compete with the Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays or Mets.

Durbin did an adequate job last year with the Brewers as a 25-year-old rookie. He slashed .256/.334/.387 while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 53 runs and stealing 18 bases in 24 attempts. Durbin was also a solid glove man at third base.

But doing a decent job on a team like the Brewers is far different than playing a star’s position with the Red Sox. Even matching last year’s numbers would be a major comedown from the Devers-Bregman duo, but he has not been close to that. Durbin is hitting .169 this season with 1 home run and 15 RBI. He has been weighing down the Red Sox lineup since Day 1.

Interim manager Chad Tracy gave him back to back days off with the hope that he might start to relax and hit the ball harder. Durbin had a single in three times up against the Royals, but he was replaced by a pinch hitter in his fourth at bat because it was clear that Durbin had little to offer.

The Red Sox had a 30-35 home run man in Devers who could drive in 100-plus runs. It feels like Durbin’s days with the Red Sox are numbered.

Trevor Story has been a strikeout machine

The Red Sox signed Trevor Story in 2022 when they still had Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. When Story was not injured that year, he played second base for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox said goodbye to Bogaerts after that season and he signed with the San Diego Padres. Story took over at shortstop — at least in theory. He had two more injury-riddled seasons in 2023 and ’24, and many questioned the decision to let Bogaerts go.

Story had his first fully healthy season with the Red Sox a year ago, and he was moderately productive with 25 home runs and 96 runs batted in. However, he struck out 176 times and his fielding fell off in the final weeks of the regular season.
Story has fallen apart this year and he recently went to the 10-day Injured List with a sports hernia. If Story and the Red Sox decide that surgery is the best option, he will be out for much longer.

He was hitting .206 at the time he went on the IL with just 3 home runs and 19 RBI. He has also struck out 57 times, meaning he would exceed 210 strikeouts if he played a full season.

The belief among many Red Sox fans is that the team would be better off without him at this point and that second-year player Marcelo Mayer would be a much better alternative. Mayer appears to be an excellent fielder who could still develop as a hitter.

Brayan Bello has struggled badly as a starter

Brayan Bello has been a fairly consistent starter in the Red Sox rotation since the 2023 season. He averaged 29 starts from 2023 through ’25 and he had his best season last year. He had an 11-9 record while pitching 166.2 innings and compiling a 3.35 earned run average.

It appeared that he was going to continue in that role because his ERA dropped a full run per game from the previous season.

Bello has had a major regression this season. He is 2-5 with a 7.16 ERA. He has already given up 10 home run balls in just 44.0 innings. Bello may get one or two more chances to start — or work behind an opener — but significant improvement must be demonstrated.

The Red Sox simply can’t hit adequately and that means they can’t afford to support a starting pitcher who always gives up multiple runs in the early innings.

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