Are the Red Sox Back? How Boston Has Changed Under Chad Tracy

It's time to give Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy his flowers for helping to right the ship.

Jun 30, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Interim manager Chad Tracy argues with umpire Vic Carapazza after an altercation in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Jaiden Tripi-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Don't look now, but the Boston Red Sox are getting hot.

The Red Sox have won nine of their last 11 games and are riding a four-game winning streak right now heading into the club's contest against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night with Jake Bennett on the mound versus Davis Martin. The Red Sox won the first game of the three-game set on Tuesday with Payton Tolle on the mound. This is the Red Sox's second winning streak of four games or more over the last two weeks.

Who saw that one coming? There aren't many that can say they expected the Red Sox to start to turn a corner after losing two out of three games against the lowly Colorado Rockies. But it is exactly what has happened. There are a lot of guys who deserve credit here. Over the last few weeks, the starting rotation has specifically gotten a lot of love. On top of that, guys like Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin have been heavily praised. One guy who likely hasn't gotten the credit that he deserves is interim manager Chad Tracy.

Red Sox Interim Manager Chad Tracy Deserves Some Love

Jul 5, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox general manager Chad Tracy during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Tracy took over the Red Sox after Alex Cora was fired, Boston was 10-17 with a -13 run differential. Since Tracy has taken over, the Red Sox have gone 31-31 with a +25 run differential. Now, of course, it would be great if Boston were over .500 with Tracy leading the charge. If the club keeps playing as it has over the last two weeks, that will come. After the Rockies series, the Red Sox were 32-46. Rather than giving up, Boston has shown a lot of grit and has gotten itself back into the American League playoff race. There's a lot of work, of course, to get back to .500 in general. But the Red Sox are playing like a club that can do just that.

The American League is bad in general. There are just six teams in general above .500. There are just two teams more than four games above .500. One thing that is a bit shocking is that despite the fact that the Red Sox are still seven games below .500, they are one of just six teams in the American League with a positive run differential at +12. That's better than teams like the Cleveland Guardians (-11), Texas Rangers (-3), Houston Astros (-42), and the Toronto Blue Jays (-45).

When it comes to Tracy, he has helped this club navigate through the chaos of all of the firings early on this season and the injuries that have piled up, including Garrett Crochet, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer, among many others. Plus, Brayan Bello was sent down to the minors. The fact that the Red Sox are fighting and showing life right now is a testament to the leadership of Tracy, to say the least.