Red Sox Truths and Lies: What's Real and What's Fake 3 Games Into Season

What did we learn in Cincy?

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) high fives teammates after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

There are a lot more games to play, but we can still react (and hopefully not overreact) to the first three we saw from the Boston Red Sox this weekend.

In losing two of three games to the Cincinnati Reds, both by just one run, the Red Sox demonstrated that they have a winning formula, but also a lot of potential pitfalls. It was a series that felt a lot like last year's early-season malaise, and the Red Sox would do well to stamp out a lot of their bad habits quickly.

But given that we have so much more baseball still to play, how can one decipher what truly mattered from that series? These are the things we think truly mattered, versus the ones that were small-sample theater.

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Real: Wilyer Abreu is a stud

Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (52) hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

If fans didn't know this one by now, there's not much we can do to help them. But if Abreu plays 150 games this season, he's going to hit a minimum of 30 home runs, and maybe closer to 40. That, plus Gold Glove defense in right field, would make him a truly elite ballplayer.

Fake: Sonny Gray is a dud

Mar 28, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Gray turned in a true stinker in his Red Sox debut, aided by one of the worst defensive plays from a pitcher you'll ever see. He wasn't efficient, he gave up some loud contact, and his stuff wasn't jumping off the page.

But when it's a 36-year-old three-time All-Star pitcher we're talking about, we've got to at least provide two or three starts as a grace period.

Real: We should worry about hitting with RISP

The Red Sox went 5-for-29 with runners in scoring position this series. That was an unfortunate callback to one of their biggest offensive pain points from last season, and we also know that they'll need to get timely hits throughout this year if they aren't going to have too many power bats.

Fake: We should worry about bullpen

If you want to change the word "bullpen" to "Greg Weissert," that's a different can of worms. But Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock looked how the Red Sox would have wanted them to in this series, and Boston also got a nice lift in game two from Ryan Watson.

Real: Outfield logjam will cause headaches

Boston Red Sox designated hitter Jarren Duran (16) reaches second in the first inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's just going to be an annoying storyline to think about every game as long as all five guys --Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Ceddanne Rafaela -- are healthy. And if someone messes up late in a game, as Duran did on Sunday, the fan base will jump down his throat, plus maybe Craig Breslow's as well for not trading someone away sooner.