The Red Sox are officially “not worried” about Garrett Crochet after the worst start of his career earlier this week. “The greatest pitchers in baseball have tough days, and that’s OK,” said pitching coach Andrew Bailey. “I think we have to recognize, too, that these guys are human, and sometimes baseball is baseball. It’s a tough little go. So I’m not worried about it.” But if he’s going to get back on track, he needs to regain control of the strike zone, as he’s hit four batters so far this season. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Unlike Crochet, Roman Anthony is not yet one of the greatest players in baseball. But the 2026 Red Sox roster was essentially constructed in a way that he has to become one soon if they’re going to win anything. In light of that, it’s reasonable to wonder whether the pressure is getting to him. “He’s got the weight of this organization — they’ve put the weight of the world on him,” said Jarren Duran. “I think he’s doing a great job managing it. … [And] it is one of those markets where media is a big presence. As a 21-year-old, that can be tough, but he handles it like he’s a 10-year vet.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
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And while Anthony is not yet an established big leaguer, there is already another prospect in the system who, like Anthony and Marcelo Mayer before him, is receiving every increasing amounts of hype. Twenty-year-old infielder Franklin Arias is off to a scorching start in AA Portland, where he is the youngest position player in the league. “He’s a stud, which we already knew,” said Red Sox director of hitting Jason Orchart. “He’s always had a high floor, and now his ceiling is starting to climb.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But the here and now is more important than Arias’s prospect development. And in the here and now, the Red Sox are struggling to win baseball games. But here are some numbers that indicate that better days may be ahead. (Travis Shawchik, MLB.com)
We’ll probably know we’re in those hypothetical better days when we’re not reading stories about Red Sox players flipping the bird to fans in the stands. But in light of the fact that Jarren Duran claims he made the gesture only after a Minnesota Twins fan told him to kill himself, the Red Sox are giving Duran his full support. (Meghan Ottolini, WEEI)
But there is something to keep an eye on regarding the latest Duran incident: while the Twins have started a full investigation into the incident, they have yet to corroborate Duran’s version of events. “One person with knowledge of the event said fans were bragging afterward that Duran had raised his middle finger at them after they had mocked his swing…. In spite of the subdued crowd noise, field and television microphones didn’t pick up fans yelling for Duran to harm himself or mocking his swing. Additional audio or video of the incident has yet to surface on social media or in the public sphere.” (Jen McCaffrey and Dan Hayes, The Athletic)
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