Red Sox Should Be Most Concerned About These 5 Slow Starts

Of all the slumpers, here are the biggest worries

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox thrid baseman Caleb Durbin (5) hits an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

There are always bound to be some slow starters on a Major League Baseball team, but the Boston Red Sox have had far too many.

Whether it's been young players struggling to adjust to the league, veterans showing their possible decline, or in-prime stars inexplicably regressing, the Red Sox have had far more players fail expectations than meet them. That's why they're in dead last in the American League East and threatening to put themselves out of playoff contention before summer arrives.

The question now is which players' struggles are cause for genuine long-term concern, vs. those who Boston might be able to count on bouncing back relatively soon. Let's run through the top five, from least concerning to most.

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5. Garrett Crochet

Apr 19, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

If Crochet only winds up spending two or three weeks on the injured list, it may be a blessing in disguise. Because an ailing shoulder would be one of the few reassuring excuses for why the ace gave up five home runs in his first six starts and pitched to a ghastly 6.30 ERA.

4. Jarren Duran

May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) walks to the plate during the first inning of a game against Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Duran homered twice against the Houston Astros this weekend, signaling that a hot streak could already be underway. But the subtext to any hot or cold streak for the 29-year-old is that at this point, Duran looks like Boston's most likely trade chip at the July deadline. The better he plays, the less certain the team might feel about cutting him loose.

3. Caleb Durbin

It's hard to imagine a worse first month and change to a Red Sox career. Durbin has the fourth-worst OPS of any qualified hitter at .502, and to make matters worse, pitcher Kyle Harrison is thriving in Milwaukee after the two were traded for each other.

Durbin has plenty of years left to make a better impression on Red Sox fans, but that's assuming he comes out of this slump soon enough to keep his starting job.

2. Trevor Story

Out of all of Boston's position players, Story has to be closest to getting the hook from the starting lineup. It's not just the slump at the plate; it's the fact that his glove hasn't bounced back from an awful September last year. If Story has three more bad weeks, he might be on the bench. If it's two more bad months, that seems all but certain.

1. Brayan Bello

Apr 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) smiles as he comes of the field against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

This is a five-alarm fire. Through six starts, Bello's 2.26 WHIP and 9.12 ERA are miles worse than any qualified starter -- he's just been yanked too early in games to qualify for those statistical leaderboards.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox have so many other injured starters at this point that Bello almost can't be removed from the equation. But we're getting into scary territory with the remaining three years after this one on his guaranteed $55 million extension.