Red Sox's Offense Grounded Through 34 Games: How to Fix it

The Boston Red Sox need to find a way to bolster this offense if they want to turn things around and live up to the club's potential in 2026.

Boston entered the day on Monday sporting a 13-21 record. Boston was in last place in the American League East and just ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in the American League. The Angels are 13-22 on the season. The New York Mets have the worst overall record in baseball right now at 12-22. Boston isn't far ahead.

It's May 4 and the Red Sox are teetering on disaster. Obviously, the Red Sox have fired a handful of coaches already, including manager Alex Cora. You could call what has transpired this season already a disaster, but it still could get worse. Boston is 28th in the league right now with just 23 homers. As a team, Boston is 21st in batting average at .235. Right now, the Red Sox are 27th in the league with 130 runs scored. The Red Sox are 21st in the league in base hits with just 267. Boston is 22nd in the league in walks with 114. The list goes on, but the offense clearly isn't working.

With that being said, there is talent in the organization and this club can turn things around. Let's take a look at a few ways to improve the Boston offense.

Lineup

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Boston has already made changes since interim manager Chad Tracy took over. The biggest was moving Roman Anthony from No. 1 in the order to No. 3. Jarren Duran has been leading off for the club. Both were good decisions but more needs to be done. Here's what arguably the best-case scenario lineup would look like.

1. Jarren Duran, DH (L)
2. Willson Contreras, 1B
3. Wilyer Abreu, RF (L)
4. Roman Anthony, LF (L)
5. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
6. Marcelo Mayer, 2B (L)
7. Trevor Story, SS
8. Carlos Narváez, C
9. Caleb Durbin, 3B

In this scenario, the Red Sox start the lineup off strongly with Duran and Contreras. Duran is a guy who can change the game at the top of an order and Contreras can drive him home. Abreu has been the club's best overall hitter this season. Then, Anthony slots behind him and potentially would come up to the plate with guys on base. Rafaela has been good overall this season and has shown progress with his plate discipline as well. If you have Anthony between Abreu and Rafaela, you will hopefully have guys on base and then Rafaela has plenty of pop himself.

Mayer has been red-hot. If he can get on base, Story can be a game-changer when he's at his best. Three righties at the bottom of the lineup aren't great, but that's just the nature of the roster as currently constructed.

Roster Changes

Mar 6, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Kristian Campbell (28) hits a two run home run during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Soon enough, the Red Sox are going to have to consider a change. Lineup changes can only do so much. You can't roll out a handful of guys hitting .200 or lower and just expect changes. For example, Durbin is hitting .165 right now. If things don't shift quickly, it'll be worth considering to option him to Triple-A.

If the Red Sox were to do that, Kristian Campbell, Mickey Gasper and Mikey Romero would all be worth a look. Romero is a former first-round pick with one homer and 13 RBIs down in Triple-A. Gasper has four homers, 23 RBIs and is slashing .300/.435/.480 with four homers and 23 RBIs. Campbell is slashing .273/.385/.343 with one homer and 13 RBIs. If the Red Sox moved Mayer to third base, any of these three could handle second base.

They're not perfect options and would take some movement elsewhere, but we're getting to a point where something has to be done.

As of writing, it's hard to believe an external piece is coming soon to help. The Athletic's Jim Bowden threw out a handful of trade candidates to watch with the most interesting being Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros. If available, he'd be the perfect solution. But Boston likely needs to find an internal solution first.

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