If there’s one time the Boston Red Sox absolutely can’t afford things to fall apart, it’s heading into the final stretch of the regular season, especially when a playoff spot has seemed pretty secure for a while. But that’s exactly what’s happening right now. After losing the final game of a three-game series against the Athletics on Thursday, Boston is now just 1.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the last American League wild card spot. And the way things have been going, it’s starting to put the Red Sox’ postseason chances in serious jeopardy.
Roman Anthony’s oblique injury — which will likely keep him out until at least the ALDS — has certainly been a huge factor in the team’s decline, especially given how much the offense has struggled since he went on the IL. Still, you’d expect other players to step up and keep things going. Unfortunately, outside of a few guys, like Trevor Story and, apart from one start, Garrett Crochet, that just hasn’t happened.
In fact, some of the guys manager Alex Cora and the fans were hoping would step have been some of the biggest culprits for the team’s struggles. However, if you’re an upset fan wanting to find someone to blame for the rapid decline of the Red Sox with only nine games left, these five players are where you should point the finger.
5. RP Greg Weissert
It would obviously be unfair to place the blame on just one relief pitcher — unless, of course, that pitcher’s name is Jordan Hicks. But in this case, Greg Weissert has become a bit of a headache for the Boston bullpen as the season winds down, and it’s been frustrating for fans to watch. If you need proof, just listen to what Weissert had to say on Tuesday after coming in to relieve Connelly Early, who had thrown 5.1 scoreless innings. Weissert, however, allowed two RBI hits and a walk, which ultimately cost the Red Sox the game in a 2-1 loss.
“We lose that game because I can’t do my job,” Weissert said. “It’s so important to get it to [Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman]. We’re fighting all game. Early pitches an unbelievable game and I go in there and do that bull**t. It sucks.”
That’s somewhat been the M.O. of Weissert, though, especially down the stretch. The righty is tied for the MLB lead this season among qualifying players with nine blown saves. And while his 2.97 ERA might look reliable, exactly what happened in the situation with Early — he inherited one runner on first with one out — has been a theme of late, allowing inherited runners to come across.
Part of that might not be Weissert’s fault, it should be said. With his heavy workload of more than 60 innings pitched already this season, perhaps there’s fatigue, or just the simple fact that Cora shouldn’t be relying on him in high-leverage situations. At the same time, the name of the game, especially in a playoff push, is to go out there and do your job. Weissert hasn’t done that consistently enough when the bullpen is starving for right-handed reliability out of the bullpen.
4. DH Masataka Yoshida
It’s worth noting that Masataka Yoshida has been hitting for far more average lately than he was when he initially rejoined the lineup earlier this season after a long-lingering shoulder issue. He’s hitting just .240 on the season, but has been hitting .294 in the month of September across 11 starts. That’s at least some progress but, at the same time, for someone who is only offering you their bat in the DH spot at this point, Yoshida simply has to be better overall than he has been.
There have been times in the season when Yoshida has certainly been someone fans wished was performing better, but it was passable or at least hand-waved because the rest of the group, Anthony in particular, was holding their own. In a dire power outage and amid a streak where scoring runs has looked exceedingly difficult, the fact that Yoshida is a light-hitting DH right now is becoming tough to stomach as it comes off as a detriment to the offense — even if he does have seven RBI on the year.
3. CF Ceddanne Rafaela
It’s hard to argue that anyone on the Red Sox — or maybe even in all of baseball — was hotter heading into the All-Star break than Ceddanne Rafaela. From June 1 to the last game before the break on July 13, the future Platinum Glove centerfielder put up an impressive .316/.350/.654/1.004 slash line over 37 games, with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, and 28 RBIs. He was in the middle of what looked like a breakout season, consistently coming through with big moments, not to mention his exceptional defense, which was already drawing rave reviews.
But right now, that defense is all that he’s giving Boston. He’s still going to be in the lineup almost every day because of his ability to man the outfield better than anyone in baseball right now. However, it’s becoming tough to watch him at the plate, as any semblance of discipline or seeing the ball well seems to have gone entirely by the wayside.
Since the All-Star break, Rafaela has posted a .499 OPS across 210 plate appearances with just two home runs, eight doubles and one triple, but that comes while striking out 45 times in that span as well. What’s worse, it’s reached a near-breaking point in September as he is hitting .122 with a .372 OPS across 15 games with 16 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances and only one extra-base hit, a homer, to show for it.
Again, it’s hard to justify taking him out of center field in any case because of how game-changing his glove can be. That’s doubly true with the lack of bodies available after the injury to not just Anthony but Wilyer Abreu as well. However, Rafaela has gone from just hot-and-cold or inconsistent at the plate to being a downright detriment to this offense when they could desperately use him heating up.
2. SP Brayan Bello
One of the most positive developments throughout the 2025 season was the establishment of the top of the rotation behind Crochet, the undeniably ace of the staff. That was thanks to veteran Lucas Giolito finding his old form and Brayan Bello seemingly entering a breakout campaign. Both have undeniably taken a step back in the later parts of the season, but it seems like the often more dominant Bello has actually regressed in a way that displays a number of his pre-2025 issues.
After a dismal outing, allowing four runs in 4.0 innings in the series finale loss to the A’s, Bello is now sporting an unsightly 5.85 ERA across four starts in September. That’s bad enough, but watching it play out has been even rougher. The biggest indicator of that is the fact that his four starts have lasted just 20.0 innings, while he’s given up nine walks to only 13 strikeouts to go along with the 14 runs allowed (13 earned).
One of the biggest problems when Bello was at his most frustrating prior to this season was his inability to go deep into games, largely due to a lack of command. These short outings and high walk numbers have been right in that mold, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. With the offense scuffling due to the absence of Anthony and Abreu, the starting pitching has needed to hold up the offense yet again, and Bello unequivocally hasn’t been able to hold up his end of the bargain of late.
1. 3B Alex Bregman
Above all the other players mentioned, the one you’d really hope would step up in the Red Sox offense’s most crucial moments is the veteran star they brought in — Alex Bregman. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. Bregman has posted the second-worst OPS on the team in September among players with more than five plate appearances, with only Rafaela trailing him.
Through 15 games this month, Bregman is hitting just .194 with a .555 OPS. He’s managed just one home run and three doubles in that stretch — and even that home run was a barely-scraped shot off the Pesky Pole against the Yankees. There are some bright spots, like his low strikeout rate (only seven in 62 at-bats) and his six walks, but the real issue has been his lack of consistent contact.
Just watching Bregman at the plate, it’s clear his timing is way off. He’s rolling over and fouling off pitches he’d normally crush, especially on the pull side. His struggles have been so glaring that Alex Cora even dropped him from the No. 2 spot in the lineup — where he’d basically been hitting since the Rafael Devers trade — to No. 3 behind Trevor Story.
Bregman’s struggles have been one of the biggest factors holding the Red Sox back as they try to finish the season strong. He’s the guy everyone’s counting on, both in the clubhouse and on the field, to steady the ship in a crucial time. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. The silver lining, though, is that with Bregman’s proven track record and veteran savvy, there’s still hope he could snap out of this slump at any moment and return to the player Boston knows he can be — and desperately needs him to be — again soon.
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